WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Post-Deadline Edition
Jack Eichel celebrates Tuesday. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres captain Jack Eichel grabbed the puck behind the net, surveyed the action in front of him and started creeping out.
Late in third period of a tie game, the St. Louis Blues should’ve been shadowing Eichel everywhere. But they inexplicably gave the NHL’s hottest scorer all the time and space he needed.
So Eichel skated out front and, without any Blues nearby, beat goalie Jake Allen from the bottom of the ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel has been scorching. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
A league-best seven points in four games helped Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel earn the NHL’s third star for the week ending Dec. 8.
Eichel, 23, compiled two goals and five assists to extend his career-best point streak to 13 games (10 goals, 23 points). Meanwhile, a 2-1-1 mark moved the Sabres into third place in the Atlantic Division.
Right now, Eichel is enjoying the best stretch of his five-year career.
The center had a ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner has gotten off to a strong start. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Through 28 games, Sabres coach Ralph Krueger has resisted the temptation to reunite 40-goal scorer Jeff Skinner and captain Jack Eichel.
When Krueger broke up the lethal duo before the season, it felt like only a temporary move. How long could he really keep them apart, right?
Well, two months later, the NHL All-Stars are still skating on separate lines.
Krueger awarded rookie Victor Olofsson a coveted spot as Eichel’s left winger, an ... Read the full article
Conor Sheary scored twice Monday. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Over the past week or so, the Sabres settled down and started showcasing some of the early-season form that made them one of the NHL’s heavyweights.
Their ability to play tighter defense helped them consistently generate more offense. While it had only resulted in two wins, it felt like the Sabres could bust out soon.
Luckily for them, the hapless New Jersey Devils visited town.
In its 22-year existence, around 2,700 periods of ... Read the full article
Victor Olofsson has earned Ralph Krueger’s trust. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Victor Olofsson’s ability to quickly adapt and evolve has helped him morph from an unheralded Sabres prospect into one of the NHL’s top rookies.
Just weeks after beginning his North American career last season, Olofsson established himself as one of the AHL’s top scorers with the Rochester Americans.
Following his terrific 30-goal, 63-point campaign, the Swedish winger graduated to Buffalo, scoring six times in the first seven games this year.
But Olofsson, ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel loves facing Toronto. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Coach Ralph Krueger said he could feel the electricity hours before captain Jack Eichel starred in the Sabres’ wildly entertaining 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The season’s first meeting against their fiercest rival would be more than a normal regular-season contest.
“You could feel that it was a highlight day,” Krueger said following Friday afternoon’s win before the bipartisan sellout crowd of 19,070 inside noisy KeyBank Center. “It was an experience ... Read the full article
Jimmy Vesey has mustered zero goals and two assists this season. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – When the Sabres acquired Jimmy Vesey in the summer, it seemed like he could earn an opportunity to play with top center Jack Eichel.
Of course, no one thought that chance would materialize after scoring zero goals in his first 18 outings. But right now, Vesey is the reeling Sabres’ No. 1 left winger.
“Getting put up there kind of gives you a shot in the arm and a little bit of a ... Read the full article
Don Granato was hospitalized before the season. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Finally, some good news for the struggling Sabres.
Assistant coach Don Granato, who took a leave of absence Oct. 1 after being hospitalized with severe pneumonia, returned to the Sabres today.
Granato, 52, was on the ice for practice inside KeyBank Center and accompanied the Sabres on their three-game road trip, which begins Thursday in Boston.
“That was a real-life story,” Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said. “It’s amazing that was Sept. 28 when ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin (26) battles Minnesota’s Zach Parise on Tuesday with teammate Brandon Montour nearby. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – A week before Thanksgiving, the same team that started the season 8-1-1 has already fallen apart. Right now, having lost eight of their last nine games, the Sabres are reeling.
The Sabres can deny it all they want, but it feels eerily similar to last season, when they won 10 straight games in November before imploding and missing the playoffs.
“Listen, we’re not talking about last year,” captain Jack Eichel said following the ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel celebrates Saturday. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Jack Eichel, of course, had scored four goals in a game before his dynamic, career-best performance in Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. The Sabres captain just can’t remember the last time he did it.
“I don’t honestly know,” Eichel said after the Sabres ended their six game-losing streak.
Eichel, 23, said he never scored four goals with Boston University or the U.S. National Team Development Program, his stops before the NHL.... Read the full article