Clifton - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres preseason: Buffalo to dress most of regulars, give Jiri Kulich first chance

BUFFALO – When coach Lindy Ruff said most of the Sabres’ regulars would dress for the preseason opener, he wasn’t kidding.

Tonight’s roster resembles a regular-season lineup, with perhaps the entire first and second lines playing against the Pittsburgh Penguins at KeyBank Center.

Assistant coach Seth Appert said No. 1 goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will start and go the distance.

While the lineup mostly features established talent, rookie winger Jiri Kulich will receive his first action ... Read the full article

After signing contract, Sabres’ Peyton Krebs begins fight for ice time

BUFFALO – As training camp approached and Peyton Krebs remained unsigned, he finally had enough. The Sabres center told his agent he needed a new contract.

“I was just kind of taking my advice from my agent and what I needed to do, and … I just kind of said, ‘I’m done with this. Get something done. I want to be there for camp,’” Krebs said following Friday’s session of training camp.

Krebs, 23, couldn’t ... Read the full article

After trade to Sabres, shock turned to excitement for Beck Malenstyn

BUFFALO – At first, Beck Malenstyn said he felt neither excitement nor disappointment, only shock. The Sabres newcomer was drinking coffee in his in-laws’ living room outside picturesque Canmore, Alberta, when he learned he had been traded.

As a restricted free agent, Malenstyn, 26, needed a new contract from the Washington Capitals. So when their assistant general manager called him during the NHL Draft on June 29, he initially thought little of it. Then after ... Read the full article

After signings and trades, where does Peyton Krebs fit with Sabres?

BUFFALO – During their exit meeting in April, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams noticed a bit of a shift in center Peyton Krebs’ mentality.

When Adams asked him about his season, Krebs, 23, told him he believes he can be a 200-foot, two-way center in the NHL.

“When he first got here, there was so much emphasis on offense and he’d always been an offensive player,” Adams said June 20 in KeyBank Center.

Krebs, ... Read the full article

Sabres looking to make more moves after trading for Beck Malenstyn

LAS VEGAS – Considering how aggressively general manager Kevyn Adams has spent the offseason pursuing trades to upgrade the Buffalo Sabres, leaving the NHL Draft with one new roster player, winger Beck Malenstyn, seems disappointing.

Still, in trading the 43rd overall pick on Saturday to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Malenstyn, 26, the Sabres addressed a significant need by becoming tougher to play against.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Malenstyn, a pending restricted free agent, gives ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Will Lindy Ruff have input in trades, other roster decisions?

BUFFALO – It’s no secret Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams leaned heavily on former coach Don Granato for roster decisions.

Adams regularly signed or traded for players Granato had connections to, often from his days coaching junior with the US National Team Development Program.

When the Sabres acquired winger Jordan Greenway prior to the trade deadline in 2023, Adams said Granato pounded the table for him. Adams made similar comments after they signed defenseman Connor ... Read the full article

Sabres want more accountability from new coach: ‘A little too comfortable’

BUFFALO – Well, now we know. As expected, Sabres players praised Don Granato, their former coach, crediting him for boosting their careers and acknowledging they could’ve done more to help him.

Still, they clearly wanted a different type of leader.

In discussing Granato’s dismissal, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said his players “are craving accountability, structure,” a sentiment they echoed Wednesday as they held exit meetings in KeyBank Center following a disappointing 84-point finish.

While ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Zach Benson scores 10th goal at end of surprising rookie season

BUFFALO – Seven months ago, rookie Zach Benson arrived here having just scored a hat trick for the Wenatchee Wild, the junior team seemingly everyone, including the Sabres, expected he would be returned to following training camp.

Benson’s preseason exploits in Washington illustrated that at just 18, he had possibly outgrown the Western Hockey League. But the diminutive winger’s limited options – as a teenager, he can only play in junior or the NHL – ... Read the full article

Sabres beat Capitals, finish strong at home: ‘Need to do that next season’

BUFFALO – In a season filled with disappointment, the Sabres improved in at least one critical area down the stretch, becoming a tough team to beat at home.

To wit: Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals in the home finale was their third straight victory at KeyBank Center and boosted their record to 9-3-0 in their last 12 outings.

Overall, the Sabres finished 21-19-1 in their building this season, the first time they finished ... Read the full article

Sabres, UPL struggle early in ugly loss to Senators: ‘We let him down’

BUFFALO – Over the past three months, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has not only morphed into the Sabres’ backbone, he has emerged one of the NHL’s elite goalies.

Luukkonen’s dynamic netminding is the biggest reason the Sabres still have a minuscule chance – basically win their final nine games and get a lot of help – of grabbing the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot and ending their 12-year playoff drought.

So as the Finn struggled mightily ... Read the full article