WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
January Edition
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has played 13 games with Buffalo this season. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres late this afternoon assigned goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to the Rochester Americans, a move that allows them activate Eric Comrie from injured reserve.
Comrie, 27, has missed the last 20 games recovering from a lower-body injury he suffered on Nov. 16. He will likely dress as Craig Anderson’s backup tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center.
Given Luukkonen’s hot streak – he has won six straight starts and eight of his ... Read the full article
Eric Comrie played three games with Rochester. ©2023, Rochester Americans
BUFFALO – When the Sabres convene for their pregame skate this morning, Eric Comrie will likely be one of three goalies on the ice as they prepare for the Philadelphia Flyers.
On Friday, Comrie made the third and likely final start of his conditioning assignment with the Rochester Americans, stopping 24 shots in a 3-2 home loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
He did not dress for Saturday’s 4-3 road win over the Syracuse Crunch.... Read the full article
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has become Buffalo’s No. 1 goalie. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s emergence as the Sabres’ No. 1 goalie has created a good problem the team will likely have to address in the coming days.
Luukkonen, having won five straight starts and seven of his last eight entering tonight’s home game against the Minnesota Wild, has possibly entrenched himself in the NHL. The Finn, 23, has developed into the Sabres’ backbone and one of their biggest difference-makers over the past month.
His splendid ... Read the full article
Eric Comrie has played 11 games for Buffalo this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres on Saturday sent goalie Eric Comrie, who suffered a lower-body injury on Nov. 16, to the Rochester Americans on a conditioning assignment.
Comrie, who has missed the last 17 games, started practicing again in mid-December. He can stay with the Amerks for a maximum of 14 days, according to the collective bargaining agreement.
The Amerks play a road game on Saturday afternoon against the Toronto Marlies.
Update: Comrie started and made ... Read the full article
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has earned two consecutive wins. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen needed time to adjust. In his first outings after the Sabres recalled him, the goalie occasionally looked a little wonky.
The Finn wasn’t much of a difference-maker.
Luukkonen, 23, had played just 13 NHL games, the last coming more than 10 months earlier, before Eric Comrie’s lower-body injury thrust into the starting role in late November. Having been labeled as the Sabres’ goalie of the future, when he’s summoned to Buffalo, ... Read the full article
Eric Comrie was injured on Nov. 16. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin checked Senators forward Mathieu Joseph into Eric Comrie five weeks ago, the goalie said he felt “a little bit of a pop in my knee.”
“It didn’t feel very good,” Comrie said following Wednesday’s practice, his second full session since getting injured midway through the Sabres’ 4-1 loss Nov. 16 in Ottawa.
Right away, Comrie, 27, knew something wasn’t right. Still, he tried to gut out the ... Read the full article
Craig Anderson has played 12 games this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Among goalies who have played at least 10 games this season, Sabres veteran Craig Anderson’s .921 save percentage ranks seventh in the NHL.
That’s 55 points higher than Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the rookie who has been receiving the majority of starts with Eric Comrie sidelined. Before Comrie suffered a lower-body injury, he compiled an .887 save percentage.
Anderson, 41, has performed a lot better than the Sabres’ other goalies this season. Overall, he ... Read the full article
Dylan Cozens has been on a tear over the past few weeks. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Forget about Dylan Cozens’ skill set for a moment. What makes the Sabres center such a unique talent and one of the NHL’s burgeoning young stars are the intangibles he possesses.
Cozens, 21, plays a mature, tenacious style that belies his limited experience.
“He competes for the right reason being in a team sport,” Sabres coach Don Granato said following Tuesday’s practice at KeyBank Center. “He brings guys in with him, he drags ... Read the full article
Mattias Samuelsson has been practicing. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
TORONTO – Following Friday’s practice, Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato said if defenseman Mattias Samuelsson wanted to return from an 11-game absence tonight against the Maple Leafs, he would have to convince him he was ready right now.
But Granato had already made up his mind that Samuelsson needed more practice time after suffering a lower-body injury Oct. 22.
“He wasn’t going to convince me, he wasn’t,” Granato said after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s ... Read the full article
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen enjoyed a strong training camp in Buffalo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
TORONTO – Earlier this year, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen reached a crossroads in his career. The Sabres, having Craig Anderson and Eric Comrie entrenched in Buffalo, decided the Finnish prospect would begin his fourth pro season in the minors.
If Luukkonen, 23, embraced another stint in the AHL, he could buoy his development. If he pouted, well, who knows what might happen?
Right away, he decided he would use his time with the Rochester Americans to ... Read the full article