WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Calder Cup Playoffs Edition
Jeff Skinner will be 34 when his contract ends. ©2019, Hickling Images
Jason Botterill sensed he would be asked a question about 40-goal scorer Jeff Skinner’s new long-term contract, so the Buffalo Sabres general manager decided to answer it himself.
“Probably one of the next questions is going to be about giving an eight-year contract to a 27-year-old,” Botterill said of Skinner’s $72 million deal on a conference call Saturday, a day after awarding the hefty contract. “But there’s always going to be risk sometimes in doing ... Read the full article
Ralph Krueger coached the Edmonton Oilers one season. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Three years ago, in the midst of his tenure as chairman of Southampton F.C., an English Premier League team, new Sabres coach Ralph Krueger briefly returned to his roots.
Krueger, who hadn’t been behind a bench since the Edmonton Oilers fired him in 2013, took a job coaching Team Europe’s entry at the World Cup of Hockey.
While Krueger wanted to remain in his role in Southampton, the short hockey gig reignited his ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin (26) enjoyed a terrific rookie season. ©2019, Hickling Images
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is among three finalists for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year, the league announced today.
St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington and Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson were also named with Dahlin.
Dahlin, 19, enjoyed a terrific season, leading all rookie defensemen with 44 points. The Swede’s 35 assists ranked second among all first-year players. So did the 21 minutes, 9 seconds of ice time ... Read the full article
Jack Hughes could go first overall June 21. ©2019, Hickling Images
TORONTO – After winning Tuesday’s NHL Draft Lottery, Ray Shero wouldn’t confirm the New Jersey Devils plan to select center Jack Hughes first overall.
Like most NHL general managers, he probably wants to respect the work his scouts have put in and leave a little suspense.
But the Devils, who own the first pick for the second time in three years, will almost certainly draft Hughes come June 21 in Vancouver.
Hughes, who has spent ... Read the full article
Jack Highes talks before tonight’s NHL Draft Lottery. ©2019, Olean Times Herald
TORONTO – The New Jersey Devils won tonight’s NHL Draft Lottery and the right to select American center Jack Hughes first overall June 21 in Vancouver.
The Devils had the third-highest odds, 11.5 percent, for the top pick.
The Buffalo Sabres, who had the fifth-highest odds for the top selection, 8.5 percent, will pick seventh. The Sabres, of course, won last year’s lottery and drafted defenseman Rasmus Dahlin first overall.
Hughes, who has spent the ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner was the Sabres’ first 40-goal scorer in 10 years. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Jeff Skinner needs time to decompress following a grueling 82-game season before he starts thinking about his next contract.
Sure, the 40-goal scorer said he loves playing in Buffalo. Despite the Sabres’ sorry season – coach Phil Housley was fired Sunday – he believes they’re heading in the right direction.
But Skinner, who can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, made sure his contract took a backseat during the season.... Read the full article
Phil Housley began his Hall of Fame playing career with the Sabres. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Even as the Sabres stumbled and lost their grip on a playoff spot early in the winter, it seemed like coach Phil Housley would return next season unless the team totally fell apart down the stretch.
Well, the Sabres imploded, losing 16 of 17 games before winning their final two outings. That marked the first time they won back-to-back games since Dec. 11 and 13.
On Sunday, a day after the Sabres finished ... Read the full article
The Sabres have been in a four-month slump. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – After suffering eight straight losses, the Sabres enjoyed a rare opportunity to celebrate a little following Thursday’s 5-2 win, just their second victory in 17 outings.
Not only did they thump an opponent, winger Jason Pominville received a rousing ovation after scoring in what could’ve been his final home game with the Sabres, who close their miserable season tonight against the Red Wings in Detroit.
The salute to one of the franchise’s all-time ... Read the full article
Jason Pominville scored his 16th goal this season Thursday. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – The crowd kept roaring. For more than a minute late in Thursday’s 5-2 win, the fans saluted one of their favorites, winger Jason Pominville, after he capped off an emotional day by scoring perhaps his last goal for the Sabres.
The noise wouldn’t stop after Pominville, 36, was announced as the scorer, so after receiving a signal from his teammates, one of the greatest players in franchise history skated to center ice ... Read the full article
Victor Olofsson was a seventh-round pick in 2014. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – By late October, as Sabres prospect Victor Olofsson closed a stellar month in which he scored five goals and 15 points, a recall to the NHL felt inevitable.
But instead of summoning Olofsson, 23, from the Rochester Americans right away, the Sabres left the slick Swedish winger in the AHL for almost six months.
The 5-foot-11, 181-pound Olofsson, meanwhile, kept scoring and acclimating to North American hockey, cementing his spot among the Sabres’ ... Read the full article
