WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Zemgus Girgensons has missed the last 13 games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Among all the blue and white on the ice for the Sabres’ optional skate this morning, one jersey, the gold non-contact one worn by winger Zemgus Girgensons, stood out.
For the first time since Jan. 25, Girgensons, 28, skated with his teammates. A lower-body injury has sidelined the Latvian, an alternate captain, 13 straight games and 18 of the last 19 contests. While he won’t play tonight against the Minnesota Wild or ... Read the full article
Casey Mittelstadt has scored just one goal this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
TORONTO – Casey Mittelstadt admittedly isn’t the most patient guy. Coach Don Granato has often spoken about how the Sabres forward has high expectations for himself.
“Yeah, I’m hard on myself,” Mittelstadt said prior to recording an assist in Wednesday’s 5-1 win over the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. “But at the same time, I think that helps me.”
Four and a half months into what was expected to be a breakout season, two significant ... Read the full article
Craig Anderson has faced Toronto often over his long career. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
TORONTO – Having scored 18 goals during their three-game winning streak, including a whopping 10 in one contest, the Maple Leafs are perhaps the NHL’s hottest team.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres, losers of six straight games, are arguably the league’s coldest club.
For the first time since Dec. 11, the Leafs will have a full house of nearly 19,000 fans tonight in Scotiabank Arena. COVID-19 restrictions forced them to play in a near-empty or half-full ... Read the full article
Jack Quinn has missed the last 14 games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When Sabres prospect Jack Quinn suffered a lower-body injury early in his second NHL game Jan. 20, he pushed through and figured it wasn’t that bad.
“I guess I had a lot of adrenaline or whatever,” said Quinn, who scored his first NHL goal later that night and finished the Sabres’ 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars. “It wouldn’t sideline me, I was thinking, I thought it’d be something I could play through ... Read the full article
Henri Jokiharju was injured Wednesday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
Barely a month ago, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Casey Fitzgerald was in the minors. The rookie has played just 14 NHL games.
Still, Sabres coach Don Granato possesses so much confidence in Fitzgerald he will replace the injured Henri Jokiharju on the top pair tonight beside Rasmus Dahlin.
Granato said Fitzgerald and Dahlin are “comfortable” with the Sabres’ style and “compatible” with each other.
Dylan Cozens created a penalty shot for Montreal on Tuesday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
It took time for the Montreal Canadiens to experience the surge that often accompanies a coaching change. Martin St. Louis lost the first three games of an interim gig that increasingly looks like it will become permanent.
Wednesday’s 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres was the Canadiens’ fourth straight triumph. They had just eight victories all season before beating the St. Louis Blues last Thursday.
The Sabres annihilated the Canadiens earlier this season, outscoring them ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo has scored three goals in the last four games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
Buffalo Sabres winger Kyle Okposo missed this morning’s pregame skate in Montreal because of illness and likely won’t play tonight against the Canadiens, coach Don Granato said.
“I don’t expect him for tonight but he’s still a possibility,” Granato said on a Zoom call from the Bell Centre.
With Okposo probably out and winger Victor Olofsson (illness) also sidelined, Granato said he expects forward Brandon Biro to make his NHL debut tonight.
Casey Mittelstadt has miss the last five games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt will return from his upper-body injury Saturday afternoon against the Colorado Avalanche, coach Don Granato said this afternoon.
Mittelstadt, out the last five games, has been practicing and doing extra work following the sessions with assistant coach Matt Ellis.
“He survived Matt Ellis’ workouts and physical battles,” Granato joked following today’s practice at LECOM Harborcenter. “No, but he looks good. He recovered well from a couple of really difficult ... Read the full article
Craig Anderson spent 10 seasons in Ottawa. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – For seven seasons, Sabres goalie Craig Anderson bounced around the NHL and minors, patiently waiting for an opportunity that might never materialize.
Anderson, 40, was property of five NHL teams during that uncertain stretch, six if you count two stints with the Chicago Blackhawks. The American once spent four days with the St. Louis Blues when Sabres coach Don Granato was a first-year assistant in 2005-06.
Then in 2009-10, Anderson seized his first ... Read the full article
JJ Peterka ranks among the AHL’s rookie scoring leaders. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
ROCHESTER – Sabres prospect JJ Peterka was recently working his way back into the lineup when the Americans wanted him to start killing penalties during practice.
For Peterka, 20, earning the coaches’ trust signaled his development had reached another level three months into his rookie season.
“He was very proud, he was very excited,” Amerks coach Seth Appert told the Times Herald last week.
The German was so excited that whenever he made a nice ... Read the full article
