Ellis | Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt set to return from injury

BUFFALO – Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt will return from his upper-body injury Saturday afternoon against the Colorado Avalanche, coach Don Granato said this afternoon.

Mittelstadt, out the last five games, has been practicing and doing extra work following the sessions with assistant coach Matt Ellis.

“He survived Matt Ellis’ workouts and physical battles,” Granato joked following today’s practice at LECOM Harborcenter. “No, but he looks good. He recovered well from a couple of really difficult ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt could return from upper-body injury this weekend

BUFFALO – Understandably, Casey Mittelstadt wants to play right now. Having missed 41 of the Sabres’ 48 games this season, the center is likely running out of patience.

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said Mittelstadt wants to return from his upper-body injury tonight against the Ottawa Senators.

“We’re trying to calm him down a little bit,” Adams said this morning inside KeyBank Center.... Read the full article

Craig Anderson backstops Sabres past Coyotes to cap ‘chaotic day’

By 7 p.m. Saturday, the chaos the Buffalo Sabres had experienced earlier in the day became an afterthought. They could forget about COVID-19 and finally play their game.

As Sabres goalie Craig Anderson, 40, settled into his crease for the first time in 88 days following the national anthem, the energy he felt inside the rink brought back a special feeling.

“That’s kind of the moment where you’re like, ‘All right, this is still enjoyable, ... Read the full article

Sabres awaiting retest results following several positive COVID-19 tests

Several members of the Buffalo Sabres tested positive for COVID-19 prior to tonight’s road game against the Arizona Coyotes, coach Don Granato said.

“Every one of those is retesting, and the only one that we’ve gotten back has returned negative,” Granato said on a Zoom call this afternoon following the Sabres’ pregame skate. “So obviously a pretty active situation. I can tell you all of these test that have gone through, everybody feels normal.”

Sabres ... Read the full article

NHL All-Star Rasmus Dahlin becoming Sabres’ best player: ‘Elite defenseman’

BUFFALO – This is all new, you know. In the past, Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin wasn’t awarded more than 25 minutes of ice time and given the difficult task of shutting down the opposition’s best talent.

At times, Dahlin, 21, has struggled in his new role as the No. 1 defenseman. The Swede often puts too much pressure on himself, and when things turn sour, he can respond by pressing and trying to impose his ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Don Granato leaves NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, travels to Boston

Don Granato’s Saturday began in the predawn hours in Buffalo. The coach knew he was close to clearing the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. So receiving good test results meant he join the Sabres in Boston for their matinee.

“I was waiting literally minute by minute in hopes of being here,” Granato said on a Zoom call prior to the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins at TD Garden.

When Granato received clearance, he hopped on ... Read the full article

Report: Sabres’ Vinnie Hinostroza, Jeff Skinner leave COVID-19 protocol

Sabres wingers Vinnie Hinostroza and Jeff Skinner have left the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and could play in this afternoon’s road game against the Boston Bruins, according to The Buffalo News.

Hinostroza, 27, and Skinner, 29, practiced with the Sabres on Friday in Boston.

“Both will be available, if that’s the direction we decide,” assistant Matt Ellis, who’s subbing for head coach Don Granato, told the paper.

... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ethan Prow never lost belief he would crack NHL someday

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Ethan Prow spent much of his 20s toiling in the AHL, posting gaudy numbers and never earning even a cup of coffee in the NHL.

In 2018-19, Prow morphed into one of the league’s elite offensive defensemen, registering 18 goals and 50 points. The next year, after changing organizations, he recorded nine goals and 32 points during a shortened campaign.

A call to the big leagues never materialized, and last season, ... Read the full article

Weakened Sabres don’t have answers for Islanders

It was a recipe for disaster Thursday. The Buffalo Sabres played the second game of a back-to-back missing a whopping 11 players because of injury or illness.

Not surprisingly, the Sabres, who had four players make their debut a night earlier, struggled early and fell 4-1 to the New York Islanders.

In COVID times, of course, teams can find themselves down several players in a day or two.

The Sabres have built up some nice ... Read the full article

Alex Tuch’s debut sign of brighter times ahead for Sabres

BUFFALO – The result doesn’t matter. That the undermanned Sabres lost 4-3, even to the reeling New Jersey Devils, wasn’t surprising. The rebuilding team has six players in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and played its first game in 12 days.

Wednesday was about the debuts of Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka and what their presence represents for the Sabres’ future.

After a decade of futility, the Sabres finally seem to be adding the right ... Read the full article