Hayden - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres being careful with two players sidelined by non-COVID illness

PITTSBURGH – The concern over the growing number of positive COVID-19 cases forced the NHL on Friday to postpone games involving the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers through Dec. 26.

So Wednesday’s Buffalo Sabres home game against the Avalanche has been shelved. No makeup date has been announced for the Sabres’ first COVID-related postponement this season.

The NHL on Friday also extended the Calgary Flames’ postponements through Thursday.

COVID is tearing through the NHL. The ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt expected to return this season after having surgery

BUFFALO – Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt underwent successful surgery today to repair his upper-body injury, coach Don Granato said.

Granato said the Sabres don’t have a timeline for Mittelstadt’s return. He expects the Mittelstadt, who visited a specialist Thursday, will play again this season.

Mittelstadt, 23, suffered his second upper-body injury this season about six minutes into the third period of Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. After getting injured opening night, he missed ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Dylan Cozens developing into special talent beside Kyle Okposo

BUFFALO – Center Dylan Cozens, one half of perhaps the Sabres’ best duo, is the rebuilding team’s youngest player. At 20, less than one year into his NHL career, he has been showcasing growth on a weekly basis.

The other half, right winger Kyle Okposo, is the Sabres’ oldest skater. At 33, when many players are graying or out of the NHL, the 15-year veteran has been enjoying a rare late-career resurgence.

Entering ... Read the full article

With Casey Mittelstadt injured, could Sabres utilize JJ Peterka or Jack Quinn?

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Don Granato acknowledged that, yes, sometimes it can be hard to resist the temptation to recall one of the organization’s top prospects.

“There is a big temptation, yes, yes,” Granato said following Wednesday’s practice inside KeyBank Center. “When you go to Rochester and you see the skill level of those kids … there’s a big temptation that’s tough to fight at times.”

Having lost center Casey Mittelstadt to another upper-body injury ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Offense on best scoring pace in 11 years as defense struggles

BUFFALO – Think about it, do kids grow up dreaming of scoring goals or playing defense? Hockey players develop an offensive mentality at a young age that remains with them.

“Every player in the NHL wants to play offense,” Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson said prior to Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at KeyBank Center. “No one likes to play defense.”

Bryson, who knows he can’t shirk his defensive duties, loves the aggressive, fast-paced ... Read the full article

Sabres excited to add goalie Malcolm Subban after losing Dustin Tokarski

As Craig Anderson’s absence neared the one-month mark, many observers wondered when the Buffalo Sabres would address their goaltending.

While Dustin Tokarski has subbed admirably, he had never shouldered such a heavy workload in the NHL until last month. With backup Aaron Dell struggling, the Sabres have been running Tokarski ragged.

The Sabres needed another goalie, and on Thursday, shortly before Tokarski entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, they found one, acquiring Malcolm Subban from the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Dustin Tokarski leaves practice early; Casey Mittelstadt on track to play

BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Dustin Tokarski left this morning’s practice early and was being evaluated after taking a shot in the facial area, coach Don Granato said.

The Sabres, who leave this afternoon for a two-game road trip, have one other healthy goalie on the roster, Aaron Dell.

Meanwhile, Granato said center Casey Mittelstadt, who suffered an upper-body injury Oct. 14, is on track to play Thursday against the Florida Panthers. Mittelstadt practiced between Zemgus ... Read the full article

Casey Mittelstadt takes another step toward return; Alex Tuch joins Sabres

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Don Granato acknowledged that, yes, he has thought about what his lineup might look like when some of his injured players get healthy.

So Granato knows where he could put center Casey Mittelstadt and winger Alex Tuch, both of whom skated with the Sabres this morning, when they’re healthy. It was the first session with the Sabres for Tuch, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery.

Mittelstadt, who had his first contact ... Read the full article

Sabres concerned about goalie Craig Anderson’s lingering injury

BUFFALO – After Craig Anderson suffered an upper-body injury Nov. 2, the Sabres said he was day to day. But the veteran goalie, whose absence has become glaring as the rebuilding team keeps struggling, is still sidelined.

“Because of our initial report, based on where we’re at, it is a concern,” Sabres coach Don Granato said on a Zoom call this morning. “Obviously, we didn’t feel he would be out this long and it has ... Read the full article

Sabres melt down early, fall to Bruins; Aaron Dell yanked after one period

BUFFALO – In explaining why Aaron Dell would start against the Boston Bruins, coach Don Granato called him the Sabres’ “hotter” goalie.

Dell, of course, wasn’t exactly lighting it up – he began the night winless and sporting an awful .874 save percentage – this season.

But having pulled goalie Dustin Tokarski from his last two starts, Granato said he wanted to give him a chance to “sit back and breathe and get back to ... Read the full article