WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
November Edition
Casey Fitzgerald played 59 games for Buffalo. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Given the depth the Sabres have built up over the last year, losing someone on waivers seemed inevitable. Sure enough, on Wednesday, the Florida Panthers nabbed defenseman Casey Fitzgerald off the wire.
As a 25-year-old right-shot defenseman, the chances of Fitzgerald clearing seemed low.
On Tuesday, the Sabres waived Fitzgerald to create a roster spot for defenseman Henri Jokiharju.... Read the full article
Casey Fitzgerald played 23 games for Buffalo this season. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
The Florida Panthers this afternoon claimed defenseman Casey Fitzgerald on waivers from the Buffalo Sabres.
The Sabres waived Fitzgerald, 25, on Tuesday to create a roster spot for defenseman Henri Jokiharju.
The 5-foot-11, 188-pound Fitzgerald compiled three assists, a minus-1 rating and four penalty minutes in 23 games with the Sabres this season.
Defenseman Kale Clague recently passed Fitzgerald on the depth chart, and he sat out seven straight games as a healthy scratch.
The ... Read the full article
Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk and Buffalo’s Alex Tuch shove each other in Saturday afternoon’s game ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – If you’re wondering, following Saturday afternoon’s entertaining 4-3 loss to Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers, the Sabres don’t play their budding Atlantic Division rival again until Jan. 16.
That three-month wait is too long for coach Don Granato, who loves the grit and tenacity the Sabres displayed while refusing to back down to the Panthers, one of the NHL’s heavyweights.
Saturday’s heated affair at KeyBank Center looked more like a late-season contest ... Read the full article
Eric Comrie has played just 28 NHL games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Following an eight-day rest, goalie Eric Comrie will likely make his Sabres debut this afternoon, the first of perhaps 50 starts he could earn this season.
The Sabres awarded Craig Anderson, 41, Thursday’s season opener, and the veteran enjoyed a terrific night, stopping 35 shots in a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.
This season, however, the Sabres expect Comrie, 27, to emerge as their No. 1 goalie. Having established himself as ... Read the full article
Buffalo rookie Owen Power is expected to make his NHL debut Tuesday in Toronto. ©2022, Michigan Athletics
As news of Owen Power’s signing spread Friday afternoon, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said his phone began lighting up with texts from the defenseman’s new teammates.
They wanted to learn when Power, 19, would be joining the Sabres after inking his three-year, entry-level contract and how they could connect with him.
“It says a lot to me of what this group is all about,” Adams said on a Zoom call Friday. “And you ... Read the full article
Owen Power just completed his sophomore season at Michigan. ©2022, Carlin Stiehl, Mlive.com
Defenseman Owen Power is officially a member of the Buffalo Sabres.
The Sabres this afternoon signed Power, the first overall pick in 2021, to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Power, 19, played his final game for Michigan on Thursday, a 3-2 overtime loss to Denver in the national semifinal at the Frozen Four.
Jeff Skinner skates away from Florida’s Mason Marchment on Sunday afternoon. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – During Sunday afternoon’s 5-3 loss, coach Don Granato said he heard very little chatter on the bench, an indicator the Sabres, two days removed from an emotional victory, did not feel fresh.
“Entirety of the game, we just couldn’t get the emotional energy,” Granato said after a 5-3 setback to the Florida Panthers ended the Sabres’ eight-game point streak. “It was low. I give our guys some credit for trying to find it ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo presented Rick Jeanneret with a sword after Friday’s win. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In the third period of Friday’s emotional win, as the raucous capacity crowd celebrating Rick Jeanneret and the upstart Sabres began doing the wave, winger Kyle Okposo said he saw his teammates looking around and soaking up the excitement.
“Guys got chills,” Okposo said following Saturday’s practice at KeyBank Center. “They hadn’t seen it.”
Then Okposo, a 15-year veteran, turned to center Dylan Cozens, who’s in his second season.... Read the full article
Colin Miller is in his third season in Buffalo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Expect a quiet deadline day for the Sabres. General manager Kevyn Adams made one trade Sunday, sending defenseman Robert Hagg to the Florida Panthers. Perhaps a few more veterans on expiring contracts will be dealt before 3 p.m.
This deadline lacks the intrigue of a year ago, when Adams was trying to trade winger Taylor Hall, a free agent bust, or in 2020, when ex-GM Jason Botterill loaded up for a playoff ... Read the full article
Robert Hagg spent less than one season in Buffalo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres this afternoon made their first trade prior to Monday’s deadline, sending defenseman Robert Hagg to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in 2022.
The 6-foot-2, 207-pound Hagg, 27, is in the second season of a two-year, $3.2 million contract and can become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The Sabres acquired Hagg on July 23 from the Philadelphia Flyers in the Rasmus Ristolainen trade.... Read the full article