Biro - Buffalo Hockey Beat

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 coach Don Granato, two players return from NHL’s COVID-19 protocol

Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato has left the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and will be behind the bench for this afternoon’s road game against the Boston Bruins.

In addition, wingers Vinnie Hinostroza and Jeff Skinner will return to the lineup after leaving protocol Friday and practicing.

Granato, who missed two games after testing positive Sunday, said he feels “really good.”

... Read the full article

Sabres add three Amerks to taxi squad

The Buffalo Sabres this morning reassigned defenseman Oskari Laaksonen and forwards Ryan MacInnis and Brandon Biro to the taxi squad.

All three players have spent this season with the Rochester Americans.

The Sabres, who begin a two-game road trip tonight against the New York Islanders, need reinforcements. Right now, they have six players in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. They’ve recalled five players to the active roster this week.

... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Peyton Krebs on tear with Amerks, piling up points

ROCHESTER – At the end, after adding two more assists, Buffalo Sabres prospect Peyton Krebs showcased his underutilized shot, one-timing Sean Malone’s pass to secure the Americans’ fourth consecutive victory.

Wednesday’s overtime goal was just Krebs’ third shot on goal in the last four games. The winger, however, had recorded a whopping seven points in the last three contests entering Friday, six of them assists.

Amerks assistant coach Michael Peca, who subbed for coach ... Read the full article

Sabres trim roster by three players, get closer to regular-season lineup

The Buffalo Sabres trimmed their roster again today, waiving winger Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and sending defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and forward Brandon Biro to the Rochester Americans.

They now have 24 healthy players – 15 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies – on the roster. They must finalize their 23-man roster for Thursday’s season opener by 5 p.m. Monday.

To reach that number, the Sabres will likely reassign another forward.

Jonsson-Fjallby, 23, skated in the pregame warm-up ... Read the full article

Zemgus Girgensons excited to be back, believes Sabres’ rebuild can work

BUFFALO – Over the years, Zemgus Girgensons grew close to Rasmus Ristolainen and Sam Reinhart, two of his many ex-Sabres teammates.

Girgensons and Ristolainen joined the NHL together as teenage rookies in 2013. Reinhart arrived two years later.

Before the Sabres traded them in July, they became a part of Girgensons’ everyday life. In his first days back at the rink this season, he still expects to see them.

“I walk around and I think ... Read the full article

Sabres release training camp roster, schedule; 37 players to participate

On Friday, the Buffalo Sabres will touch the KeyBank Center ice for the first time in 296 days and begin preparing for the most unusual of seasons.

The NHL will be attempting to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will likely experience problems – positive tests, postponements or even cancellations – as the schedule unfolds.

But those potential roadblocks can be examined another day. The Sabres’ 10-month break is nearly over. Training camp officially ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Penn State product Brandon Biro to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres have signed former Penn State forward Brandon Biro to a two-year, entry-level contract, the team announced today.

Biro, 22, captained Penn State as a senior in 2019-20, scoring 10 goals and 25 points in 25 games as the Nittany Lions’ 12-8-4 record led the Big Ten.

“Brandon will bring a combination of skill, hockey sense and character to our organization,” Sabres general manager Jason Botterill said in a statement. “We’re confident that ... Read the full article