Boston Bruins - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Don Granato faces challenges before first game as interim Sabres coach

BUFFALO – Instead of having a day or two of practice and preparation prior to his first game as interim Sabres coach, Don Granato had one meeting just two hours before the opening faceoff.

On Thursday, a day after the Sabres fired coach Ralph Krueger and named Granato, 53, his interim replacement, a member of their hockey staff entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. The Sabres, who had Wednesday off, canceled their morning skate and stayed ... Read the full article

Member of Sabres’ hockey staff enters NHL’s COVID-19 protocols

The Buffalo Sabres have canceled this morning’s pregame skate because a member of their hockey staff has entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.

The Sabres, who fired coach Ralph Krueger on Wednesday in the midst of a 12-game losing streak, are scheduled to host the Boston Bruins tonight at KeyBank Center.

More information regarding today’s schedule will be released later.

1:30 p.m. update: The Sabres announced after further testing and contact tracing, as of now, tonight’s ... Read the full article

After firing Ralph Krueger, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams wants more passion

In explaining why he fired Ralph Krueger, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams appealed to his players’ pride.

Adams wanted to keep Krueger, a coach he said his players believed in and “really, really love.” The rookie GM stood by him for weeks, allowing the Sabres to implode and their losing streak to balloon to 12 games.

But Wednesday morning, hours after the Sabres’ 3-2 road loss to the New Jersey Devils, Adams knew ... Read the full article

Don Granato takes over Sabres with coaching search underway

For the time being, Don Granato, a 53-year-old hockey lifer who has spent the last 27 years coaching or scouting in pro, college and junior, is leading the hapless Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres on Wednesday named Granato their interim coach after firing Ralph Krueger in the midst of a 12-game losing streak.

Granato, who joined Krueger’s staff as an assistant last season, will be behind the bench tonight against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank ... Read the full article

Williamsville’s Trevor Kuntar thriving as freshman at Boston College

Les and Faye Kuntar wanted to support their oldest son, Trevor, and hopefully celebrate his selection by an NHL team.

A year earlier, Trevor Kuntar had gone undrafted. The snubs fueled him, and the extra year helped the Williamsville native to develop into a stronger prospect. So when the second day of the NHL Draft started Oct. 7, the Boston College freshman was expected to be a mid- or late-round pick.

His parents drove seven ... Read the full article

Friendship with Colby Cave helped Sabres’ Matt Irwin handle demotion

It was the summer of 2015, and after spending three seasons with the San Jose Sharks, defenseman Matt Irwin felt a strong desire to return to the East Coast.

Having attended UMass for two years and developed three seasons with San Jose’s AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks, Irwin felt comfortable in Massachusetts. When an opportunity materialized to the join the Boston Bruins as a free agent, he pounced on it, signing a one-year contract.

Irwin ... Read the full article

Bruins draft Williamsville’s Trevor Kuntar 89th overall

When 31 teams passed over Trevor Kuntar in the NHL Draft last year, he said he never stopped thinking about it. The snubs fueled the Williamsville native.

Kuntar, 19, tried to seize the opportunity having an extra year to develop into a better prospect offered him.

“I’m kind of glad that it happened like that, too, because I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot,” Kuntar told the Times Herald last week.

This afternoon, ... Read the full article

With Jeff Skinner injured, Sabres revamp lines to generate offense

BUFFALO – Forget that Jeff Skinner hadn’t scored in 11 games before suffering an upper-body injury Friday. Forget that after enjoying his first 40-goal campaign, the Sabres winger has only produced 11 goals in 39 contests this season.

Skinner, who will be sidelined three to four weeks, the Sabres announced Saturday, can be a lethal scorer. In his last few outings, he channeled his 2018-19 form, showcasing the tenacious style that helped make him ... Read the full article

Sabres lose game to Bruins, Jeff Skinner to upper-body injury

BUFFALO – The Sabres have a way of making any recent progress quickly feel like a distant memory.

For the first two weeks of December, they channeled some of their early-season form, shaking off an awful November swoon and moving back into a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.

Now, having dropped five of their last six games (1-4-1), they’re struggling again.

To make matters worse, in addition to losing 3-0 to the heavyweight Boston ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Jake McCabe’s advice to Mattias Samuelsson: ‘Be yourself’

BUFFALO – Seven years ago, Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe had no idea he would be named captain of Team USA’s entry at the World Junior Championship.

The team, after all, had some returning players. McCabe, then 19, was participating in his first tournament.

“It was one I was surprised about because I was a first-year player,” McCabe said prior to Friday’s 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center. “But I took it with ... Read the full article