Anderson - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres beat Penguins in shootout to continue hottest stretch in years

BUFFALO – Each win the Sabres earn these days feels like the kind of game they would’ve lost earlier this season.

Take, for example, Wednesday’s 4-3 shootout victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, a game in which they blew three leads, including one late in the third period before center Tage Thompson and winger Alex Tuch scored shootout goals.

In the recent past, they probably would’ve wilted down the stretch, especially against the NHL’s best road ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Vinnie Hinostroza wants to stay, feels something special building

BUFFALO – Winger Vinnie Hinostroza said he reads Twitter, so he knew all about the negativity surrounding the Sabres.

But while exploring his options as a free agent last summer, Hinostroza, 27, saw an opportunity in Buffalo. He talked to Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams and coach Don Granato and learned about their vision for the team.

Hinostroza liked what he heard, and he signed a one-year, $1.05 million contract.

The American had a good ... Read the full article

Sidney Crosby, Penguins present stiff challenge Sabres embrace

BUFFALO – The next few weeks present a stiff challenge coach Don Granato welcomes. Starting with tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Sabres play 12 teams in a playoff spot or knocking on the door in their next 13 contests.

Granato know if the Sabres, winners of four of their last five games, including two straight, want to keep improving, they need to face some of the NHL’s top competition.

In Pittsburgh, which is ... Read the full article

No trade, no problem: Craig Anderson still ‘enthusiastic’ about gig with Sabres

BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Craig Anderson felt comfortable with either scenario that could’ve unfolded as the trade deadline approached.

If the Sabres dealt him to a contender – Florida, where he has a home, appeared to be the likeliest destination – he would’ve embraced a background role. Having spent much of last season on the Washington Capitals’ taxi squad, he knows how to handle the difficult job as the second or third netminder.

Staying put ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Casey Fitzgerald nearing return from upper-body injury

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Casey Fitzgerald practiced Tuesday, his first session since suffering an upper-body injury March 10.

Fitzgerald, however, won’t play in Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at KeyBank Center.

Right now, the Sabres have a surfeit of defensemen, so coach Don Granato won’t rush Fitzgerald, 25, back into the lineup. Fitzgerald, who has missed the last four games, practiced Tuesday beside Will Butcher.... Read the full article

Why didn’t the Sabres make any trades before Monday’s deadline?

BUFFALO – In winning four of their last five games, including two straight road contests in overtime, the Sabres have taken significant steps over the past two weeks.

For one of the few times in the past decade, the Sabres are clearly improving as the season progresses. So as the trade deadline approached, general manager Kevyn Adams had to decide if dealing some influential veterans on expiring contracts was worth the return.

For example, goalie ... Read the full article

After Robert Hagg deal, Sabres could make more trades before deadline

BUFFALO – Expect a quiet deadline day for the Sabres. General manager Kevyn Adams made one trade Sunday, sending defenseman Robert Hagg to the Florida Panthers. Perhaps a few more veterans on expiring contracts will be dealt before 3 p.m.

This deadline lacks the intrigue of a year ago, when Adams was trying to trade winger Taylor Hall, a free agent bust, or in 2020, when ex-GM Jason Botterill loaded up for a playoff ... Read the full article

If Sabres trade Craig Anderson, Mark Pysyk, could they return next season?

BUFFALO – When the Sabres signed a slew of cheap free agents to one-year contracts last summer, it appeared their tenures here would be short.

After a season or less, they might become expendable. Some of organization’s prospects would mature and the rebuilding Sabres might also acquire better talent.

Well, so far, some prospects – defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and Mattias Samuelsson, for example – have graduated from the minors and earned regular duty. Others like ... Read the full article

Heritage Classic win showcases bond Sabres have formed this season

HAMILTON, Ont. – Rookie Peyton Krebs was beginning to explain how the maturing Buffalo Sabres have started closing out tight games when goalie Craig Anderson interrupted his friend.

“Great goaltending,” Anderson chimed in under his breath following Sunday afternoon’s 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, offering his take as he “coughed.”

Anderson’s antics elicited laughs from Krebs and the media while further illustrating how close the Sabres have grown this season.... Read the full article

Sabres display growing maturity in win over Maple Leafs at Heritage Classic

HAMILTON, Ont. – If the Buffalo Sabres crack the postseason in the near future, the last four days, punctuated by Sunday afternoon’s 5-2 victory in the Heritage Classic, will be remembered as a significant stretch in their maturation.

Before a capacity, pro-Toronto crowd of 26,119 fans outdoors at chilly Tim Hortons Field, the Sabres scored three third-period goals to down the playoff-bound Maple Leafs.

It was a game, just like Thursday’s 3-1 win over ex-captain ... Read the full article