Dahlin - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Alex Lyon, hot Sabres beat Islanders to extend season-long win streak

BUFFALO – If Colten Ellis hadn’t suffered a concussion and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made a few more saves, then Sabres goalie Alex Lyon might still be waiting for his next opportunity.

But Ellis took a hit in the crease and Luukkonen struggled, so the Sabres turned to Lyon again last week, a move that has ignited their season.

Contributions up and down the lineup have buoyed the Sabres throughout to a five-game win streak, none bigger ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Lindy Ruff sad to see GM Kevyn Adams fired, faces uncertain future

BUFFALO – Coach Lindy Ruff walked into the media room, his whistle still hanging around his neck after running the Sabres’ first practice since general manager Kevyn Adams’ dismissal, and stood at the podium looking somber.

Ruff, 65, and Adams, 51, go way back and enjoyed a close working relationship.

Late in Ruff’s first tenure here, he hired Adams as a skills coach before promoting him to an assistant on his staff. Last year, Adams ... Read the full article

Josh Norris wows in return as Sabres beat Jets: ‘He was unbelievable’

BUFFALO – In his first action in almost eight weeks, center Josh Norris needed less than three minutes to give the Sabres a taste of what they had been missing for the last 24 games.

During a power play, Norris, who hadn’t played since suffering an upper-body injury opening night, skated into the right circle and adroitly fed winger Josh Doan the puck at the top of the crease.

A second later, winger Jason Zucker ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Alex Tuch steps up by creating goals; Bowen Byram avoids injury

BUFFALO – Following two pointless outings, Sabres winger Alex Tuch caught fire early in Friday’s blowout win, grabbing the puck behind the net and feeding Tage Thompson before the center adroitly found linemate Josh Doan at the net.

During a power play later in the first period, Tuch hit Bowen Byram from the right point as the defenseman crept into the slot.

In the second period, Tuch protected the puck along the wall in his ... Read the full article

Sabres fall apart late in loss to Flames: ‘Some of the guys wanted it easy’

BUFFALO – For a while in Wednesday’s wretched 6-2 loss to the hapless Calgary Flames, it felt like the Sabres would avoid disaster and defeat the NHL’s worst team.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, they raced back and tied the game late in the second before the crowd of 15,213 fans in KeyBank Center.

Against the league’s lowest-scoring team that was playing its backup goalie a night after losing by three goals ... Read the full article

Rookies Noah Ostlund, Colten Ellis lead Sabres to complete win over Oilers: ‘Probably our best game’

BUFFALO – In the next week or so, two of the Sabres’ top forwards, Josh Norris and Jason Zucker, should be ready to play, meaning some difficult roster decisions will likely materialize.

After center Noah Ostlund’s slick two-goal performance in Monday’s 5-1 shellacking of the Edmonton Oilers, it’s hard to imagine the Sabres will create room by sending the rookie back to the Rochester Americans.

Ostlund, 21, dazzled in his 11th NHL game this season ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Josh Norris, Jason Zucker skate with teammates; Michael Kesselring out injured

BUFFALO – Among the 1,300 or so players who participated in NHL preseason games, Sabres center Josh Norris stood out as perhaps the most dynamic performer.

It can be hard to put much stock in exhibition contests, but the oft-injured Norris, who participated in Monday’s pregame skate, looked ready to seize his role as the Sabres’ top pivot following a full summer of training.

Then late in the season opener Oct. 9, he suffered an ... Read the full article

Sabres, Tage Thompson impose will in OT win; Michael Kesselring injured

BUFFALO – Early in Saturday’s overtime, Sabres center Tage Thompson used his 10-inch, 40-pound size advantage to knock Alex DeBrincat to the ice after the Detroit Red Wings star blocked his shot in the right circle.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Thompson grabbed the puck and backhanded it to defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who beat goalie John Gibson to secure the Sabres’ unlikely 5-4 win in Detroit.

Three-on-three overtime, of course, rarely features much physicality. But Thompson, whose ... Read the full article

Captain Rasmus Dahlin rejoins Sabres after temporary leave of absence

Captain Rasmus Dahlin rejoined the Buffalo Sabres today in Detroit after taking a temporary leave of absence to return to his native Sweden for a personal matter.

Dahlin, who left the Sabres last Friday, skated with his teammates this morning and will play against the Red Wings tonight.

The defenseman missed the first three games of Buffalo’s road trip.... Read the full article

After early goalie change, will Sabres start Alex Lyon, UPL or Colten Ellis?

Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff’s decision to yank goalie Alex Lyon barely six minutes into Thursday’s 6-3 road loss wasn’t performance-related.

“It had nothing to do with Lyon,” Ruff told reporters following the game against the Colorado Avalanche.

No, with the Sabres trailing 2-0 – Martin Necas scored on a breakaway at the 52-second mark before Artturi Lehkonen converted a rebound at the net – replacing Lyon with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen essentially gave them a much-needed ... Read the full article