Detroit Red Wings - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres notes: Jonas Johansson looks solid in first NHL start

BUFFALO – In the midst of an awful stretch during another lost season, goalie Jonas Johansson’s first NHL start Thursday should’ve given the Sabres a spark.

Johansson’s arrival has created some excitement and intrigue. The Swede, 24, has enjoyed a terrific season with the Rochester Americans, winning 13 of his 20 appearances and receiving AHL All-Star honors.

While Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been tabbed the Sabres’ goalie of the future, Johansson, a third-round pick in ... Read the full article

In dreary season, Jonas Johansson’s first NHL start offers Sabres freshness

BUFFALO – In what has become another dreary season, goalie Jonas Johansson’s first NHL start tonight offers the Sabres some freshness.

While Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been tabbed the Sabres’ goalie of the future, Johansson has developed into a strong prospect.

The former third-round pick ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Conor Sheary focused on present, not thinking about trade

BUFFALO – In the near future – perhaps through a trade this month or as a free agent following the season – winger Conor Sheary will likely leave the Sabres, ending his disappointing two-year run here.

Sheary, 27, has struggled throughout his 124-game career with the Sabres, battling long slumps and scoring only 21 goals. He was even scratched three times in December.

Having scored 48 goals and earned two Stanley Cup rings over his ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Marco Scandella, Jimmy Vesey out against Red Wings

Injuries will sideline defenseman Marco Scandella and winger Jimmy Vesey tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, the Buffalo Sabres announced this afternoon.

Scandella (lower body) and Vesey (upper) were hurt in Thursday’s 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers, the start of a two-game road trip.

The Sabres said the players will be evaluated this weekend in Buffalo.

Defenseman John Gilmour, a healthy scratch the first 11 games this season, and winger Evan Rodrigues... Read the full article

Sabres recall Will Borgen from Amerks

After losing defenseman Marco Scandella in Thursday’s 6-2 road loss to the New York Rangers, the Buffalo Sabres recalled Will Borgen from the Rochester Americans this morning.

Sabres coach Ralph Krueger told reporters in New York that Scandella is day-to-day with a lower body injury.

The Sabres play tonight in Detroit against the Red Wings.

Borgen, 22, could just be insurance for the Sabres. John Gilmour has been a healthy scratch as the seventh defenseman ... Read the full article

Sabres believe they selected talented prospects at NHL Draft

VANCOUVER – Among the highlights of new Buffalo Sabres prospect Aaron Huglen on YouTube is a clip of what general manager Jason Botterill called “the Mike Legg goal.”

Last year at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, an under-18 tournament, Huglen pulled off one of hockey’s toughest moves, scoring a goal by quickly lifting the puck and wrapping it into the net.

Legg, Botterill’s teammate at Michigan, made the lacrosse-style goal famous in 1996.

“There’s a wow factor ... Read the full article

Follow along for live Sabres NHL Draft updates from Vancouver

VANCOUVER – The Buffalo Sabres were expected to take a goalie this year, and sure enough, they selected Erik Portillo 67th overall today in the third round at the NHL Draft.

Portillo spent last season at home in Sweden with Frölunda’s under-20 junior team, compiling a 1.90 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage.

The 6-foot-6, 209-pound Portillo could play in North America next season. The junior United States Hockey League’s Dubuque Fighting Saints own ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel tries to accentuate positives of rough season

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

Sabres’ youngsters stand out in overtime loss to Red Wings

BUFFALO – Rookie Victor Olofsson heard Jack Eichel calling for the puck, so he quickly spun around along the right boards and adroitly fed the Sabres captain as a zoomed down the slot.

A second later, an uncovered Eichel beat Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard, tying the game 15:42 into the third period Thursday.

“I was just trying to get it in there in the middle,” Olofsson said following his NHL debut, a 5-4 ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Victor Olofsson earns spot beside Jack Eichel

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