Clague - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres play Bruins tough, lose again; Rasmus Dahlin escapes injury

BUFFALO – Right now, having lost five straight games, the Sabres need to find silver linings and take solace in any small steps they make.

So while they’re ticked off about Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins, they know if they keep replicating that effort, they’ll start winning again.

Against one of the NHL’s heavyweights, the Sabres grabbed any early lead and kept generating offense while keeping the Bruins in check before a capacity ... Read the full article

Sabres captain Kyle Okposo to miss game against Bruins

BUFFALO – A lower-body injury will force captain Kyle Okposo to miss tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins, according to the Sabres.

Okposo, 34, is day to day.

With Okposo sidelined, rookie winger Jack Quinn, 21, will return following a one-game absence.... Read the full article

Sabres look sluggish in loss to Coyotes: ‘We wanted an easier game’

BUFFALO – Barely 20 seconds into Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, Sabres defenseman Owen Power left the puck behind the net, and his partner, Kale Clague, overskated it, creating an easy goal for Lawson Crouse.

The gaffe turned out to be a harbinger for the Sabres, who looked disjointed and sluggish throughout the night, often drawing the ire of the announced crowd of 10,296 fans at KeyBank Center.

The Sabres’ third straight loss ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin set to play after one-game absence

BUFFALO – Rasmus Dahlin’s absence last game wasn’t just related to getting sucker punched in the face by the Carolina Hurricanes’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

“It was an accident after,” the Sabres defenseman said this morning of the upper-body injury that sidelined him Saturday. “I was hit kind of late. My neck was a little bit off. I don’t know, it was a mix of everything. So it wasn’t that situation.”

Dahlin, 22, will return for tonight’s ... Read the full article

With Rasmus Dahlin, other Sabres hurt, Owen Power displaying star qualities

BUFFALO – Sooner than later, Sabres rookie Owen Power was expected to play mega minutes and emerge as a workhorse on the blue line.

But just 20 games into his NHL career? Well, Power skated a personal-high 28 minutes, 14 seconds in Saturday’s 5-3 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Through 12 outings this season entering tonight’s contest against the Arizona Coyotes at KeyBank Center, he has averaged 23 minutes, 9 seconds of ice ... Read the full article

Sabres expect ‘angry’ Penguins team; Eric Comrie starts again

BUFFALO – The Pittsburgh Penguins limped into town this morning in the midst of one of their worst stretches in recent memory.

In Tuesday’s 6-5 home loss to the Boston Bruins, they blew three-goal second-period lead before falling in overtime. At least the Penguins earned a point, ending their four-game regulation losing streak.

They lost every game of their western road trip late last month, scoring just six goals.... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Buffalo adds defenseman; Jacob Bryson seizing leading role

BUFFALO – Just nine games in, the Sabres have already dipped deep into their defense reserves. Hours before Monday’s 8-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings, they recalled Jeremy Davies from the Rochester Americans.

Davies, 25, is the ninth defenseman who has been on the roster this season.

“We’re banged up on the back end and that’s the need, pressing need right now,” Sabres coach Don Granato said Monday prior to Davies’ recall.

They summoned ... Read the full article

Ilya Lyubushkin out again; Sabres plan to add new defenseman

BUFFALO – After forward Riley Sheahan clears waivers or is claimed this afternoon, the Sabres plan to recall a defenseman from the Rochester Americans.

“We’re banged up on the back end and that’s the need, pressing need right now,” Sabres coach Don Granato said this morning.

Right now, having lost three defensemen – Henri Jokiharju, Ilya Lyubushkin and Mattias Samuelsson are all injured – the Sabres sorely help.

Their options, however, are limited. They’ve already ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tage Thompson scores twice, buoys OT win: ‘Just a matter of time’

BUFFALO – Hours before Tage Thompson’s clutch two-goal performance in Saturday’s 4-3, come-from-behind overtime victory, Sabres coach Don Granato gave his struggling center a simple message: relax.

Thompson, fresh off a breakout 38-goal season, admittedly demands a lot from himself. After scoring just once in the first seven games, he began feeling pressure to produce.

So Granato told Thompson, who turns 25 today, to stop trying to score the perfect goal and overthinking things. Just ... Read the full article

Recalls to Sabres, injuries make Amerks sign NHL veteran for defense

The Rochester Americans on Saturday added to a defense corps depleted by recalls to the Buffalo Sabres and injuries, signing veteran Matt Bartkowski to a professional tryout.

Bartkowski, 34, played in Saturday afternoon’s 5-1 road win over the Laval Rocket.

Injuries to defensemen Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju forced the Sabres to recall Lawrence Pilut and Kale Clague from the Amerks. They’ve also lost defensemen Chase Priskie and Peter Tischke to injuries.... Read the full article