WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
January Edition
Colin Miller has missed the last 23 games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Defenseman Colin Miller, out the last 23 games after undergoing surgery, will play during the Sabres’ upcoming road trip, coach Don Granato said.
Miller, who was trying to play through an upper-body injury earlier this season, has missed the last 23 games.
The Sabres play the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday and the Calgary Flames on Friday before closing the trip against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.... Read the full article
Zemgus Girgensons hasn’t played since Jan. 25. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The uncertainty Sabres winger Zemgus Girgensons experienced after he left the lineup in late January wore on him. The Latvian’s lower-body injury was related to the hamstring problem that forced him to miss all of last season.
“It was definitely mentally tough at the start where I kept going back and forth with how long I would be out,” Girgensons said following Tuesday’s practice at LECOM Harborcenter. “It brought back flashbacks from last ... Read the full article
Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin and Toronto’s Auston Matthews battle late Sunday afternoon. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
HAMILTON, Ont. – After absorbing a vicious cross-check in the neck from Auston Matthews, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin did not need much time to cool off.
“About two minutes in the box,” Dahlin said following Sunday afternoon’s win 5-2 over Matthews’ Toronto Maple Leafs in the Heritage Classic at Tim Hortons Field.
After the Leafs fell behind, they lost their cool in the waning minutes, and Matthews and Dahlin shoved each other near the ... Read the full article
Craig Anderson played in two outdoor games before he came to Buffalo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
HAMILTON, Ont. – Having already played in two outdoor games, Buffalo Sabres goalie Craig Anderson understands the unique energy fans often bring to the huge venues.
“I think everyone was 25 beers deep,” Anderson joked following Saturday’s practice at Tim Hortons Field.
As expected, Sabres coach Don Granato said Anderson, 40, will start this afternoon’s Heritage Classic against the Toronto Maple Leafs.... Read the full article
Casey Fitzgerald has played 21 NHL games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In Thursday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, five of the six defensemen the Sabres utilized were 25 or younger.
The graybeard of the group, Robert Hagg, 27, has played all of 282 NHL games.
The rest of the blue line consisted of neophytes. Only one other defenseman, Rasmus Dahlin, 21, has played more than 200 big league contests.
The Sabres dressed two rookies – Casey Fitzgerald, 25, and Mattias Samuelsson, who turns ... Read the full article
Henri Jokiharju has missed the last six games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Defenseman Henri Jokiharju and some other injured Sabres could return for tonight’s home game against Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights, coach Don Granato said.
Jokiharju, out the last six games with a lower-body injury, practiced Wednesday in his regular spot beside defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. Meanwhile, winger Zemgus Girgensons, out the last 16 games with a lower-body injury, skated on a line of extras with center Mark Jankowski and Anders Bjork inside ... Read the full article
Sam Reinhart has kept producing in Florida. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In his six years here, ex-Sabres winger Sam Reinhart never experienced anything like this season. His playoff-bound Florida Panthers have established themselves as a Stanley Cup contender.
The Panthers, the NHL’s highest-scoring team, ranked fourth in the league entering Monday’s 6-1 win over the Sabres. They’re so deep that Reinhart, who spent most of his tenure in Buffalo as a first-liner, now skates on the third trio.
After more than 500 regular-season appearances, ... Read the full article
Los Angeles goalie Cal Petersen watches the action in Sunday’s win over Buffalo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – For one game at least, the Sabres got a small taste of playoff hockey, playing a lock-it-down, grind-it-out affair against the Los Angeles Kings.
The Kings, one of the NHL’s biggest surprises this season, stifled the Sabres all afternoon, limiting scoring chances and showcasing rigid structure. When the visitors grabbed a 1-0 lead late in the second period, they were content with sitting on it.
“They know if we keep it 1-0, we ... Read the full article
Vinnie Hinostroza has missed the last 18 games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres center Cody Eakin suffered an undisclosed injury in Friday’s 5-4 win over the Minnesota Wild and missed this morning’s practice at LECOM Harborcenter.
Coach Don Granato said Eakin, who was undergoing X-rays, hasn’t been ruled out of Sunday afternoon’s game against the Los Angeles Kings.
“We will know more in a couple hours,” Granato said of Eakin’s injury.
John Hayden skates off the ice following one of his fights this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Barring injury, winger John Hayden will establish a new career high in games played later this month. After bouncing around the NHL, often as a spare forward, the Yale product has earned regular duty throughout most his first season with the Sabres.
Hayden, 27, has thrived under Don Granato, a coach he knows well from their days together at the U.S. National Team Development Program and later with the Chicago Blackhawks.
“Donny’s made ... Read the full article