Helenius - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres roar back against Wild, lose in OT; Josh Norris misses second game

BUFFALO – It was about to be one heck of a penalty kill for the Sabres. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson cleared the puck down down the ice, seemingly extinguishing the power play the Minnesota Wild carried into Saturday afternoon’s overtime.

But Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson skated out to the left circle and quickly flung the puck up to Kirill Kaprizov at the Buffalo blue line as the Sabres changed. Kaprizov skated in and fed Mats Zuccarello, ... Read the full article

Mature, consistent game as No. 1 center helps Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius earn first recall from Rochester

BRIGHTON – Center prospect Konsta Helenius’ first recall to Buffalo could be brief. Right now, the Sabres are scorching, having won 15 of their last 17 games, and coach Lindy Ruff hasn’t tinkered with his lineup much over the past five weeks.

If Sabres center Josh Norris, who’s day to day with an upper-body injury, heals quickly, Helenius, 19, could be returned to the Rochester Americans without playing a game.

The Sabres, who host the ... Read the full article

Sabres recall prospect Konsta Helenius; Josh Norris day to day with injury

BUFFALO – The Sabres this afternoon recalled center Konsta Helenius, one of their top prospects, from the Rochester Americans.

Center Josh Norris is day to day after suffering an upper-body injury when Nick Seeler cross-checked him in the second period of Wednesday’s 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, according to the team.

Helenius, 19, could make his NHL debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens in KeyBank Center.... Read the full article

After strong stint in Buffalo, Isak Rosen scoring in Rochester, ready for another recall to Sabres

ROCHESTER – Eight of the nine skaters followed the puck to the corner boards, leaving Buffalo Sabres prospect Isak Rosen, the Americans’ top scoring threat, with half the ice to himself during a power play.

So when Amerks center Konsta Helenius dug the puck out and fed his linemate, it felt like Rosen had enough time and space to tie his skates before he shot it.

With no defenders around, Rosen, 22, moved from ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius taking ‘big jump’ in development, playing big minutes for Rochester Amerks

ROCHESTER – Having lost three of their most talented forwards to recalls, the Americans have recently been forced to lean heavily on center Konsta Helenius, playing the Sabres prospect a whopping 23 or 24 minutes some games.

“He’s playing probably too much right now, to be honest,” Amerks coach Mike Leone told the Times Herald prior to Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Belleville Senators in Blue Cross Arena.

The Amerks, who have lost Josh ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Radim Mrtka quickly impressing with Rochester Amerks

ROCHESTER – For the time being at least, Buffalo Sabres prospect Radim Mrtka is adapting to the rigors of pro hockey as a member of the Americans.

The AHL, of course, can be unforgiving for teenagers and other neophytes, especially defenseman. But after earning a long look in training camp, rather than sending Mrtka, 18, back to junior hockey, the Sabres assigned him to the Amerks.

How long could the Czech stay? Remember, Sabres general ... Read the full article

In mature rookie Radim Mrtka, Sabres have special defense prospect

BUFFALO – About 12 minutes into his third preseason outing, Sabres rookie Radim Mrtka saw an opportunity materialize deep in his own zone and took off down the middle of the ice.

When Mrtka, 18, reached the Detroit blue line, he caught up to forward Konsta Helenius, who held the puck on the left wing, and slipped past a Red Wings defender.

Helenius, 19, then pivoted and adroitly fed a streaking Mrtka, who beat Red ... Read the full article

Devon Levi, Konsta Helenius among players Sabres assign to Rochester

BUFFALO – Goalie Devon Levi and forward Konsta Helenius were among 24 players the Sabres assigned to the Rochester Americans following Saturday afternoon’s 5-2 preseason win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Levi, 23, is expected to begin the year as Rochester’s No. 1 goalie after securing an NHL roster spot out of training camp in each of his first two seasons.

Meanwhile, Helenius, 19, recorded one goal and three points in four exhibition games. In ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Konsta Helenius earning trust, displaying talents of special prospect

BUFFALO – After forward Konsta Helenius took an ill-advised hooking penalty with the Sabres clinging to a late one-goal lead, coach Lindy Ruff had two options.

Ruff could’ve benched Helenius, 19, for the final minutes of Tuesday’s preseason game. After all, an offensive-zone penalty at a critical time is a no-no.

“Or I could see what his next shift was going to be like,” Ruff said following the Sabres’ 2-1 home win over the Columbus ... Read the full article

Sabres preseason: goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen practices; Jiri Kulich injured

BUFFALO – Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen knows if the Sabres hope to end their embarrassing 14-year playoff drought, he must bounce back following a disappointing season in which he often struggled and briefly lost his starting job.

It can be argued no player is more integral to the Sabres’ success than Luukkonen, who failed to build on his breakout 2023-24 campaign and sat out late-season games when journeyman James Reimer took over the net.

So it ... Read the full article