Greenway - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Josh Norris could miss another game as Sabres try to close out Bruins

BUFFALO – Coach Lindy Ruff said this morning that forwards Josh Norris, Tyson Kozak and Jason Zucker are all available to play tonight in Game 5 as the Sabres try to clinch their first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins.

But will they all play?

Norris did not take any line rushes during the morning skate and was one of the last Sabres off the ice, meaning he will likely miss his third straight game ... Read the full article

Alex Lyon played four postseason games with Florida.

Sabres notes: Buffalo turns to Alex Lyon versus Bruins; Josh Norris misses game

BOSTON – Buffalo Sabres goalie Alex Lyon has experienced this before. Three years ago, he started three games during the Florida Panthers’ stunning first-round upset of the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He later had a relief appearance in the final.

Turning to Lyon on Thursday for Game 3 of the Sabres’ opening-round series felt inevitable after goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed an 89-foot goal and later got pulled from Tuesday’s 4-2 home loss to ... Read the full article

Sabres will likely start goalie Alex Lyon, make lineup changes up front in Game 3 against Bruins

BOSTON – Goalie Alex Lyon is likely in for Game 3 of the Sabres’ first-round playoff series. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is likely out.

Lyon, 33, manned the net usually reserved for that night’s started during this morning’s pregame skate, meaning he’s expected to get the nod against the Bruins. The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff refused to name his starter for tonight’s game.

Lyon hasn’t started a game since allowing three goals ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Mattias Samuelsson takes place among NHL’s best defensemen; Josh Allen riles up Buffalo crowd

BUFFALO – It was never a question of skill. Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson possesses loads of it.

At his best, he ranks among the NHL’s top shutdown defenders.

“He’s got every tool in the toolbox,” Sabres winger Alex Tuch said Monday in KeyBank Center. “He’s big, he skates well, he’s got the long stick, he’s got the hockey IQ. And then when he’s physical like that, he’s just horrible to play against.

“I mean, I ... Read the full article

After sitting out as extra, Sabres’ Josh Dunne gets call for playoffs; Buffalo gets injured goalie back

BUFFALO – When Sabres center Josh Dunne learned he would suit up for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he said he had to pinch himself.

After the Sabres beefed up their forward depth before the trade deadline, Dunne, 27, mostly served as an extra, sitting out 17 of the final 21 regular-season games as a healthy scratch.

But with center Sam Carrick injured (left arm) and the heavy Boston Bruins the Sabres’ first-round ... Read the full article

Injured Sabres Noah Ostlund, Alex Lyon return to practice; Buffalo could make lineup change for Game 1 of playoffs

BUFFALO – Expect to see rookie forward Noah Ostlund return from his upper-body injury during the Sabres’ first-round series against the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ostlund, 22, practiced as an extra Saturday, his first session since going down March 25 late in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins.

The best-of-seven series starts tonight at KeyBank Center.... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Goalie Alex Lyon could be sidelined into playoffs; Josh Doan makes ‘selfless’ play

BUFFALO – Injured Sabres goalie Alex Lyon could be sidelined for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, coach Lindy Ruff said prior to Thursday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“Right now, (he’ll be out) a week, and we’ll go from there,” Ruff said of the strained muscle Lyon recently suffered during practice.

The postseason begins April 18 and 19. A schedule won’t be released until next week.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Sam Carrick week to week with arm injury; Josh Dunne set to play

OTTAWA – In his first weeks in Buffalo, Sam Carrick quickly established himself as a sturdy and versatile presence as the Sabres’ fourth-line center.

In addition to winning critical faceoffs, Carrick, who seems to do a little bit of everything well, scored five goals and fought twice in his first 13 games.

But Carrick’s willingness to drop the gloves proved to be costly.... Read the full article

Sabres on precipice of clinching playoff spot, ending NHL-record drought

Fifteen years and 1,151 games later, the day has finally arrived.

The Buffalo Sabres’ magic number is just two, meaning if they defeat the Senators tonight in Ottawa, they will clinch their first berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since April 8, 2011.

Repeating: the Sabres, whose stunning run of futility ranks as the longest in NHL history, are on the precipice of securing that coveted playoff spot.

A heck of lot has transpired – ... Read the full article

Years after trade, Sabres’ Peyton Krebs becomes first-liner and driver; Buffalo expected to change lineup

BUFFALO – Few envisioned the long and often arduous path Peyton Krebs would take to becoming what coach Lindy Ruff called one of the Sabres’ “drivers.”

Krebs, 25, needed more than three years to get here. He struggled for stretches, sometimes failing to meet the lofty expectations that accompany high-end prospects. He reinvented himself, earning his keep as a high-octane checking forward willing to showcase a rugged style and drop the gloves.

At times, it ... Read the full article