Houser - Buffalo Hockey Beat

After re-signing Craig Anderson, Sabres must acquire more goalies

BUFFALO – When veteran goalie Craig Anderson finished his first season with the Sabres, he wanted to take some time to decompress and evaluate his future.

The Sabres felt Anderson’s impact – in addition to stabilizing their net, he established himself as a leader and mentor on the rebuilding club – and sorely wanted him back for another season.

But Anderson, 41, needed to talk to his family and see how his body felt before ... Read the full article

After rough stints with Sabres, goalie Aaron Dell found game with Amerks

ROCHESTER – Goalie Aaron Dell arrived in Buffalo nine months ago as perhaps the favorite to win the Sabres’ backup job before enduring a miserable preseason and getting waived.

When an opportunity materialized to play in the NHL a month later, Dell struggled so badly the Sabres acquired another netminder and demoted him to the AHL again.

Dell, 33, compiled downright awful statistics – a 1-8-1 mark with a 4.03 goals-against average and an ... Read the full article

Sabres sign prospect Olivier Nadeau to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Olivier Nadeau, a fourth-round pick in 2021, 97th overall, to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Sunday.

Nadeau, 19, set career highs across the board this season, recording 35 goals, 43 assists and a team-high 78 points in 65 games for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Shawinigan Cataractes. His 17 power-play goals were tied for fourth in the league.

The 6-foot-2, 204-pound Nadeau also registered two goals, ... Read the full article

Utica’s Nolan Foote scores a first-period goal on Rochester goalie Aaron Dell on Tuesday.

Amerks fall to Comets, can’t close out series: ‘Wanted to finish it off now’

ROCHESTER – In opening up a series lead and putting the Utica Comets on the brink of elimination from the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Americans hadn’t seen the best out of the AHL powerhouse.

The top-seeded Comets only showcased flashes of their slick regular-season form throughout the first three games of best-of-five AHL North Division semifinal. In a do-or-die scenario Tuesday, you figured they would come out roaring.

Well, in Game 4, the Comets gave ... Read the full article

Back from Sabres, Peyton Krebs buoys Amerks to dramatic overtime win

ROCHESTER – When the Sabres assigned Peyton Krebs to the AHL following a successful 48-game stint in Buffalo, they probably hoped the center would be an offensive catalyst for the Americans in his first taste of playoff hockey.

Sure enough, after a slow start, Krebs helped the Amerks complete a furious three-goal, third-period comeback in Wednesday’s dramatic 4-3 win overtime win against the Belleville Senators before a raucous crowd of 6,044 fans at Blue Cross ... Read the full article

Craig Anderson enjoyed ‘amazing’ year with Sabres, undecided on retirement

BUFFALO – If goalie Craig Anderson was in his mid-30s instead of two weeks away from turning 41, re-signing with the Sabres would be a no-brainer.

“If I was five years younger, that would be the ideal situation right now,” Anderson said Saturday of returning to the Sabres. “Yeah, the respect that I received as a player, the respect the players in the room get from management, from the coaching staff. You want to be ... Read the full article

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen injured; Sabres send two prospects to Amerks

BUFFALO – Sabres goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will miss the Rochester Americans’ AHL North Division Calder Cup Playoff play-in series after suffering a lower-body injury in Friday’s season finale.

“It’s not short-term,” Appert told reporters Sunday of Luukkonen’s injury. “It’s going to be minimum of a few weeks or so.”

Luukkonen, 23, left Friday’s 8-1 win over Utica Comets in the first period and was replaced by Aaron Dell. That victory, coupled with the ... Read the full article

For Sabres’ Malcolm Subban, singing national anthem special experience

BUFFALO – The original plan called for a recording of Malcolm Subban singing the U.S. national anthem to be played before Friday’s season finale. But then the goalie’s Sabres teammates and some staff members encouraged him to do it live.

“It was awesome,” a smiling Subban said Saturday as the Sabres cleaned out their lockers and held end-of-season meetings. “I was, like, so nervous before. Like, I couldn’t even eat lunch. Oh yeah, I was ... Read the full article

Sabres make roster moves ahead of season finale, send help to Amerks

BUFFALO – The Sabres made three roster moves prior to Friday’s season finale against the Chicago Blackhawks, sending defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and goalie Aaron Dell to the Rochester Americans and recalling netminder Michael Houser.

The Amerks, who thumped the Utica Comets 8-1 in Friday’s regular-season finale at Blue Cross Arena, needed the victory to stay alive the AHL North Division playoff chase. Their defense has been decimated by injuries and recalls, so Fitzgerald’s arrival was ... Read the full article

Ex-Sabres coach Dan Bylsma energized by new job as Kraken’s assistant in AHL

ROCHESTER – Dan Bylsma laughed and processed the question a little longer. He started to answer it but stopped again to collect his thoughts.

After three lean years as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings, did the ex-Buffalo Sabres head coach need a new adventure?

“We were in a different spot in Detroit with the team and the players,” Bylsma told the Times Herald on Wednesday following the Charlotte Checkers’ 5-1 loss to ... Read the full article