WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
2026-27 Season Edition
Buffalo trade Bowen Byram during the offseason. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Bowen Byram’s first game here as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks will have to wait until next season.
Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said Byram, 25, is attending to a personal matter and will miss tonight’s game against the Sabres at KeyBank Center.
The Sabres traded Byram, who wanted an opportunity to become a No. 1 defenseman, to Chicago on June 23 in a blockbuster deal that brought the fourth overall pick ... Read the full article
Jack Quinn scored in Thursday’s game. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Friendly reminder, gang, while Seth Appert is the assistant coach in charge of the Sabres’ power play, it’s Lindy Ruff’s show. He’s the head coach.
Oh, and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen posted a .909 save percentage last season. Yes, the Finn struggled at times in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But he still enjoyed a strong campaign.
Why do these things bear repeating just one game into the season? Well, the Sabres lost Thursday’s opener ... Read the full article
Josh Doan threw out the first pitch prior to Saturday’s Bisons game. ©2026
BUFFALO – Alex Tuch’s departure from the Sabres earlier this summer via a sign-and-trade deal with the Washington Capitals hardly surprised winger Josh Doan.
In the weeks before free agency opened, it appeared the veteran first-line winger’s run in Buffalo could be ending after five seasons.
“There was noise around whether or not he was staying or go,” Doan said prior to throwing out the first pitch at Saturday’s Bisons game against the Worcester Red ... Read the full article
Bowen Byram wanted a fresh opportunity. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
ORCHARD PARK – The Sabres tried to convince Bowen Byram to stay in Buffalo. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said he spent all season working on a new contract, calling it his “first priority.”
But Byram, 25, wanted to become a No. 1 defenseman, an opportunity he would likely never have in Buffalo with captain Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson around. So, according to Kekalainen, Byram “didn’t want to negotiate.”
“He wasn’t gonna sign ... Read the full article
Bowen Byram has one year left on his contract. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres completed a blockbuster trade with the Blackhawks tonight, sending defenseman Bowen Byram and winger Jordan Greenway to Chicago in exchange for the fourth overall pick in Friday’s NHL Draft, the 45th selection and defenseman Louis Crevier.
Now, does general manager Jarmo Kekalainen have another move up his sleeve? Will the Sabres, who host the draft Friday and Saturday at KeyBank Center, make their early pick? Or could they package it with, say, ... Read the full article
Zach Benson was a force for Buffalo throughout the playoffs. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Long before he gave the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens fits in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Zach Benson’s high-octane game rankled opponents.
The diminutive winger’s ultra-aggressive style helped him crack the NHL at just 18 and later establish himself as one of the Sabres’ most valuable forwards.
“I’ve kind of played like this forever,” Benson said last week in KeyBank Center. “I’ve kind of always played with that edge.”... Read the full article
Beck Malenstyn thought he scored the go-ahead goal in Game 7. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – With Monday’s Game 7 tied halfway through the third period, Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram landed a shot from the point on Jakub Dobes that winger Jordan Greenway quickly poked through the goalie’s pads.
As the puck moved toward the goal line, referee Wes McCauley blew his whistle just before Sabres winger Beck Malenstyn knocked it into the net, raised his arms in celebration and the crowd erupted.
The goal did not count, and ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin was emotional after Monday’s loss. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When the dressing room door opened after the Sabres’ gut-wrenching 3-2 overtime loss in Game 7 on Monday, winger Alex Tuch was sitting in his stall, still wearing his No. 89 jersey and pondering things following what could be his final appearance wearing the Blue and Gold.
Across the room, captain Rasmus Dahlin spoke quietly to the media, his emotion still raw barely 20 minutes after Montreal Canadiens winger Alex Newhook scored from ... Read the full article
Alex Tuch is Buffalo’s most seasoned postseason performer. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Having cut his teeth as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, Sabres winger Alex Tuch has experienced the craziness that often accompanies Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The memories of his first one in 2019 are seared in his mind.
“Oh yeah,” Tuch replied Sunday when asked if he has any crazy recollections of the three he has played.
Then Tuch, whose Sabres host Game 7 of their second-round series ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin had five points in Buffalo’s win on Saturday. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
MONTREAL – In the moment, the score meant nothing to the Buffalo Sabres. That they faced an early two-goal deficit after captain Rasmus Dahlin scored 32 seconds into the do-or-die contest, well, so be it.
If they maintained their focus on Saturday against the Canadiens, they told themselves, and kept doing the right things in the hostile Bell Centre, they would be rewarded.
“We actually liked our game to start,” winger Jason Zucker said after ... Read the full article