Offseason Edition
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen recently played his first four NHL games.
The Buffalo Sabres will be without goalies Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Dustin Tokarski and Carter Hutton for the final three games this season, interim coach Don Granato said.
Luukkonen, 22, left Saturday afternoon’s 6-2 loss to the Boston Bruins after getting his left skate caught on the goal post.
Granato did not have much information on the Finn, who was examined Monday.
“As far as the details of the report, I don’t have those,” Granato said ... Read the full article
Buffalo goalie Michael Houser is embraced after Monday’s win by teammates Will Borgen (left) and Rasmus Ristolainen. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Eight teams, nine seasons and 284 games into his pro career, Sabres goalie Michael Houser made his NHL debut, stopping 34 shots in Monday’s 4-2 come-from-behind win over the New York Islanders.
In a dreadful year in which the Sabres could finish dead last again, Houser’s first big league start created a feel-good story that provided some excitement and intrigue to a meaningless late-season game.
Houser, 28, has spent most of his career ... Read the full article
Michael Houser has spent nine seasons in the minors. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Michael Houser toiled nine years in the minors, playing 283 games, most of them in the ECHL, for seven teams before an opportunity to start an NHL game materialized.
Tonight against the New York Islanders at KeyBank Center, Houser, 28, will make his NHL debut, interim coach Don Granato said. Houser will be the sixth Sabres goalie to start a game this season.
Houser has spent most of the past seven ... Read the full article
Linus Ullmark hasn’t played since April 13. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – After a lower-body injury sidelined goalie Linus Ullmark 15 games, he returned in late March and quickly morphed into the Sabres’ backbone again.
Then on April 13 in Boston, Ullmark, in his eighth appearance back, suffered a lower-body ailment stretching to make a save in the opening minutes. At first, he tried to play through the pain.
“When the pain never subsided and it was getting worse and worse, I couldn’t find any ... Read the full article
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen left Saturday’s game after the second period. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
After a solid few weeks, the Buffalo Sabres have started reminding everyone why they’ve occupied the NHL’s basement for months.
Saturday’s afternoon’s ugly 6-2 setback to the Boston Bruins was their fourth consecutive loss and fifth in the last six games.
In an outing reminiscent of the Ralph Krueger era, the Sabres looked disjointed all over the ice, allowing the Bruins to throttled them.
On top of their dismal performance, rookie goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen suffered ... Read the full article
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was playing his fourth NHL game. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen left this afternoon’s game injured after his left skate got stuck on the goal post.
Luukkonen, 22, was injured as he moved across the crease in the waning seconds of the second period against the Boston Bruins. After the rookie caught his skate on the post, he fell backwards and appeared to grab his left knee.
The Finn was helped off the TD Garden ice. Dustin Tokarski has replaced him ... Read the full article
Drake Caggiulla has started finding a groove in Buffalo. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Having played for four teams in three seasons, Buffalo Sabres winger Drake Caggiula understands how fleeting opportunities can be in the NHL.
Caggiula, a prized college free agent in 2016, has bounced around since the Edmonton Oilers traded him in December 2018, playing for the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes before the Sabres claimed him off waivers April 9.
The North Dakota product lasted only 27 games with the Coyotes after signing a one-year contract.... Read the full article
Jacob Bryson believes Buffalo played better than Thursday’s 5-2 loss indicates. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
A month ago, the Buffalo Sabres were in the midst of an embarrassing 18-game winless skid, so finishing April with a 6-8-2 record illustrates their rapid improvement in barely four weeks.
Remember, the Sabres had trouble scoring a single goal most games in February and March. Now, they’ve morphed into a team capable of beating any of their heavyweight East Division opponents.
Of course, they’re not exactly a playoff-caliber team yet. But they’re clearly getting ... Read the full article
Sam Reinhart has scored six goals in the last three games. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
As Sam Reinhart’s career progressed and he stayed put at right wing, the odds of the Buffalo Sabres moving him back to center, his natural position, seemed low.
Reinhart, 25, established himself as a perennial 20-goal scorer as a winger. Even after the Sabres traded No. 2 center Ryan O’Reilly in 2018, creating a huge void in the lineup, they kept Reinhart beside top center Jack Eichel.
But a major injury and trades ... Read the full article
Dylan Cozens has two career NHL fights. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Over the past couple of games, Buffalo Sabres rookie Dylan Cozens said he has been battling the puck and unable to find any rhythm.
So when an opportunity materialized late in Tuesday’s 3-1 road loss to the New York Rangers to stick up for a teammate and fight Kevin Rooney after he boarded Drake Caggiula, Cozens pounced on it.
“The hit didn’t look too good and I wasn’t too happy with my own play ... Read the full article
