Rookie Zach Benson scores an empty-net goal Thursday. ©2024, Michleine Veluvolu

UPL stars as Sabres blank Islanders, move toward playoff spot

BUFFALO – OK, now goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and the surging Sabres are making things really interesting.

Thursday’s 4-0 win over the New York Islanders moved them to within three points of the Isles, who own the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot.

Who would’ve thought last week, when the Sabres dealt leading scorer Casey Mittelstadt and captain Kyle Okposo during their three-game losing streak, they’d suddenly vault into the thick of the playoff chase?... Read the full article

Tage Thompson and Bowen Byram celebrate a goal Tuesday. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu

Bowen Byram, surging Sabres destroy Red Wings, move closer to playoff spot

BUFFALO – Imagine, if you will, a Sabres team capable of locking down defensively like it has over the past 10 weeks and possessing the offensive firepower of last season.

Since Jan. 1, thanks largely to the emergence of goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the Sabres have boasted the NHL’s third-stingiest defense.

Still, as they’ve focused on different areas of their game and matured this season, their offense has suffered. The fast pace they displayed a year ... Read the full article

Victor Olofsson celebrates his goal Wednesday in Toronto. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu

Following trade, Sabres’ Victor Olofsson earns another chance, scores goal

TORONTO – Prior to Wednesday’s game, Don Granato told Victor Olofsson to talk to him. The Sabres had just traded center Casey Mittelstadt. The coach needed to know if the seldom-used winger was ready to play.

Granato feared Olofsson, having last dressed for a game Feb. 15, could be put in a tough spot.

“He looked at me with 100 percent confidence and said, ‘I’m ready to go,’” Granato said after Olofsson scored the Sabres’ ... Read the full article

Casey Mittelstadt and Bowen Byram switched teams Wednesday. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu

Sabres sad, surprised Casey Mittelstadt traded, excited for Bowen Byram

TORONTO – Sooner or later, it was going to happen. Over the past few years, as the Sabres grew into a tight-knit group, their young core remained intact. But as the team evolved and needs materialized and the salary cap became a factor again, someone would have to leave Buffalo.

On Wednesday, two days before the trade deadline, it happened. The Sabres dealt center Casey Mittelstadt, a beloved teammate and their leading scorer, to the ... Read the full article

Don Granato lost his cool Tuesday. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu

NHL fines Sabres’ Don Granato $25,000 for outburst directed at officials

The NHL on Thursday fined Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato $25,000 for “unprofessional conduct directed at the officials” late in Tuesday’s 3-2 road loss to the Florida Panthers.

At the 9:01 mark of the third period, when rookie winger Zach Benson went off for tripping, officials called an unsportsmanlike conduct bench penalty on the Sabres, putting them down two men.

Apparently, Benson’s penalty was the final straw for Granato.

“At some point, you got to ... Read the full article

Tage Thompson (72) skates by former teammate Ilya Lyubushkin on Monday. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu

Sabres can’t put Ducks away in awful loss: ‘Gave them free chances’

BUFFALO – Almost halfway through Monday afternoon’s embarrassing 4-3 loss, the Sabres had the Anaheim Ducks on the ropes.

At that point, the Sabres had dominated the Ducks, outshooting them by about 20 as they generated a slew of prime scoring chances, including some breakaways.

Fourteen seconds after center Tage Thompson’s power-play goal put the Sabres’ up 2-1, the Ducks took another penalty.... Read the full article

Peyton Krebs has scored three goals this season. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu

Sabres believe Peyton Krebs ready for offensive role; UPL set to return

BUFFALO – The confidence Sabres center Peyton Krebs displayed in grabbing the puck in his own zone, roaring up the ice and undressing a defender at the blue line has taken years to develop.

In junior hockey, sure, Krebs’ skill would allow him take over a game like he did in the second period of Thursday’s 4-0 loss to the Florida Panthers. But in the NHL, Sabres coach Don Granato explained, he has been “building ... Read the full article

Buffalo goalie Eric Comrie tries to stop Florida’s Evan Rodrigues on Thursday.

Sabres generate offense again, still lose to Panthers; Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could return from injury soon

BUFFALO – Remember that recent seven-goal outburst by the Sabres? As suspected, it turned out to be an anomaly.

On Thursday, they reverted back to their regular form, generating plenty of offense but showcasing a stunning lack of finish in their 4-0 loss to the heavyweight Florida Panthers before a crowd of 14,277 fans in KeyBank Center.

Fresh off Tuesday’s 7-0 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings, the Sabres pumped 45 shots on Anthony Stolarz, ... Read the full article

Jacob Bryson sat out as a healthy scratch earlier this season. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu

Sabres notes: Jacob Bryson standing out following stint in Rochester

BUFFALO – When the Sabres sent defenseman Jacob Bryson to the minors for the first time in almost three years, he knew the assignment would be temporary.

Playing in the AHL could help Bryson, 26, find a groove after sitting out 29 of the first 32 games as a healthy scratch, and return to Buffalo ready to contribute.

“That was the plan,” he said prior to Thursday’s 4-0 loss to the Florida Panthers in KeyBank ... Read the full article

Buffalo’s Jordan Greenway (12) and his teammates celebrate his first Tuesday. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu

Sabres dismantle Kings as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen joins elite company with fourth shutout

BUFFALO – Perhaps the most of emphatic of the Sabres’ 23 victories this disappointing season served as another reminder of just how dynamically they’re capable of performing.

On Tuesday, the Sabres annihilated the reeling Los Angeles Kings before an excited crowd of 13,292 fans in KeyBank Center, pouncing on them early and never letting up.

They imposed their will on the Kings, embarrassing them all night.... Read the full article