Appert - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres notes: Linus Weissbach showing ‘immense’ growth with Amerks

BUFFALO – In the third period of Rochester’s 5-2 loss last Friday, rookie winger Linus Weissbach hit defenseman Matt Kiersted hard into the end boards, freeing the puck.

A second later, winger JJ Peterka scored, moving the Americans within one goal of the Charlotte Checkers.

The assist wasn’t exactly pretty or the type of play the speedy Weissbach’s known for making. The Sabres prospect fell to the ice after hitting Kiersted, and it appeared he ... Read the full article

Amerks’ Brandon Biro becoming elite scorer, one of Sabres’ top prospects

ROCHESTER – Brandon Biro doesn’t grab your attention like other Sabres prospects. In fact, it might take a little time to appreciate the undrafted center’s talents.

“I’m not like a flashy player or anything,” Biro told the Times Herald on Jan. 29 after scoring a goal in the Americans’ 4-2 loss to the Utica Comets at Blue Cross Arena.

The recent exploits of Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn can fill up a ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect JJ Peterka developing more mature game with Amerks

ROCHESTER – Sabres prospect JJ Peterka was recently working his way back into the lineup when the Americans wanted him to start killing penalties during practice.

For Peterka, 20, earning the coaches’ trust signaled his development had reached another level three months into his rookie season.

“He was very proud, he was very excited,” Amerks coach Seth Appert told the Times Herald last week.

The German was so excited that whenever he made a nice ... Read the full article

Craig Anderson backstops Sabres past Coyotes to cap ‘chaotic day’

By 7 p.m. Saturday, the chaos the Buffalo Sabres had experienced earlier in the day became an afterthought. They could forget about COVID-19 and finally play their game.

As Sabres goalie Craig Anderson, 40, settled into his crease for the first time in 88 days following the national anthem, the energy he felt inside the rink brought back a special feeling.

“That’s kind of the moment where you’re like, ‘All right, this is still enjoyable, ... Read the full article

After slow start, Sabres prospect Arttu Ruotsalainen on tear with Amerks

For five weeks this season, Sabres prospect Arttu Ruotsalainen played short minutes as Buffalo’s fourth-line center, mustering just two goals.

Finally, after the Sabres scratched Ruotsalainen four times over a five-game stretch in November, they sent him back to the AHL, where he began last season.

When Ruotsalainen, 24, arrived in Rochester, Americans coach Seth Appert was surprised at what he saw.

Ruotsalainen had performed like one of the AHL’s elite talents last season, recording ... Read the full article

After change, Sabres prospect Jack Quinn has four-goal game for Amerks

Three days after recording his first hat trick as a pro, Buffalo Sabres prospect Jack Quinn added to his career-best outing for the Rochester Americans.

The AHL on Tuesday credited Quinn with the Amerks’ game-tying goal with four seconds left in regulation in Saturday’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Belleville Senators.

Quinn, 20, is the first Rochester player to have a four-goal game since Derek Whitmore on Nov. 25, 2011. It’s also the AHL’s first ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Michael Houser beats long odds to return to NHL

BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Michael Houser never stopped preparing for a promotion that seemed less and less likely as the years passed.

Tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, Houser, 29, will likely back up goalie Aaron Dell for the second straight game. The Sabres play four times in a six-day stretch next week, including a back-to-back set, so Houser could be awarded his fifth NHL start.

By last season, his ninth as a pro, it ... Read the full article

Sean Malone has recorded 22 points in 23 games this season for Rochester.

Amerks’ Sean Malone to be sidelined six weeks after undergoing surgery

Rochester Americans center Sean Malone has undergone surgery to repair a lower-body injury and will be sidelined six weeks, coach Seth Appert said.

Malone, having scored nine goals and 22 points in 23 games, is enjoying a career-best season.

“You feel for him,” Appert said on a Zoom call this morning. “I mean, it hurts us because he was a go-to guy, he was a real leader not only in his attitude and his character, ... Read the full article

As Tage Thompson enters COVID-19 protocol, other Sabres close to leaving

BUFFALO – Coach Don Granato knew it would happen again. COVID-19 has been clobbering the NHL, forcing hundreds of players into protocol over the past several weeks, including 11 Sabres.

“When’s it going to happen to the next guy the way it’s going around the league and around the world?” Granato said following Monday’s practice. “It happens today.”

On Monday, shortly after prospect Jack Quinn joined the Sabres, top center Tage Thompson, the team’s leading ... Read the full article

Sabres send three players to Amerks; Casey Mittelstadt ‘excited’ about rehab

BUFFALO – The Sabres on Friday assigned forwards Brett Murray and Ryan MacInnis and defenseman Ethan Prow to the Rochester Americans.

The Sabres don’t play again until Tuesday, while the Amerks hosted the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday and play a road game against the Syracuse Crunch tonight.

All three played for the Amerks on Friday.

Murray, 23, had made 15 straight appearances with the Sabres. Overall this season, he has played 16 NHL games, ... Read the full article