WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
February Edition
Jeff Skinner has endured a rough month. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres have a way of making any recent progress quickly feel like a distant memory.
For the first two weeks of December, they channeled some of their early-season form, shaking off an awful November swoon and moving back into a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
Now, having dropped five of their last six games (1-4-1), they’re struggling again.
To make matters worse, in addition to losing 3-0 to the heavyweight Boston ... Read the full article
Marcus Johansson is frustrated by his play. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Even during the opening weeks of the season, as Marcus Johansson scored goals and solidified himself as the Sabres’ No. 2 center, his play irked him.
“I didn’t feel like myself with the puck and stuff like that,” said Johansson, who scored four goals and seven points in the first nine games. “I mean, sometimes you still get points and the team wins. You kind of don’t think about it as much.”
These ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel has been on a tear. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
Jack Eichel’s 17-game point streak ended tonight because an upper-body injury forced him to miss the Buffalo Sabres’ road contest against the Philadelphia Flyers.
After skating in the pregame warm-up, the Sabres announced their captain would miss his first game this season.
Eichel, 23, has been the NHL’s hottest scorer, compiling 16 goals and 31 points during the league’s longest point streak this season. The center was one game short of tying the franchise-record point ... Read the full article
Marcus Johansson has a 12-game goal drought. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In his first days here, Marcus Johansson quickly established himself as one of the Sabres’ most reliable presences on and off the ice.
Sabres coach Ralph Krueger named Johansson an alternate captain before he played a regular-season game. Krueger also switched the veteran to center, a position he hadn’t played regularly since his rookie year.
Johansson, 29, started the season scorching as the No. 2 center, scoring four goals in the first nine ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo suffered a concussion Nov. 16. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Right away, Kyle Okposo knew something was wrong. Having suffered at least three concussions earlier in his Sabres career, the winger understands the symptoms well.
“I just knew right away that the neck wasn’t good,” said Okposo, who suffered his fourth concussion Nov. 16 when he collided with Ottawa Senators defenseman Ron Hainsey leaving the bench.
Right now, Okposo feels good again. The affable veteran smiled and was upbeat Monday morning after skating ... Read the full article
Carter Hutton played splendidly Saturday. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
TORONTO – Following a few dismal weeks, the Buffalo Sabres have quietly started showing signs of snapping out of their long funk.
Sure, Saturday’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs closed a disappointing November in which they went 3-8-2, losing 10 out of 13 games.
But the Sabres finished the month strongly, going 2-1-2. Earning points in four out of five contests during a busy seven-day stretch illustrates progress.
They’ll begin December in fourth ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel loves facing Toronto. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Coach Ralph Krueger said he could feel the electricity hours before captain Jack Eichel starred in the Sabres’ wildly entertaining 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The season’s first meeting against their fiercest rival would be more than a normal regular-season contest.
“You could feel that it was a highlight day,” Krueger said following Friday afternoon’s win before the bipartisan sellout crowd of 19,070 inside noisy KeyBank Center. “It was an experience ... Read the full article
Casey Mittelstadt has scored four goals this season. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Like most elite prospects, Casey Mittelstadt was a dynamic scorer in junior and college. So struggling for weeks sometimes in the NHL has been a new experience for the Sabres winger.
“It’s not easy, I’m not going to lie,” Mittelstadt said after scoring in Friday afternoon’s 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs inside KeyBank Center, his first goal in 17 games. “But at the same time, I’ve scored pretty much my whole ... Read the full article
Rasmus Asplund has played seven NHL games. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In the second period Wednesday, Sabres rookie Rasmus Asplund grabbed a loose puck in the right corner, spun off a defender in the circle and quickly cut to the net.
Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson hectored the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Asplund in the slot, but he fended him off before creating a prime scoring chance goalie David Rittich stymied.
Asplund’s seventh NHL game, a 3-2 overtime loss, was perhaps his best performance since the ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin was injured Monday. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – The two-game suspension the NHL laid on Erik Cernak for elbowing Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the face and concussing him seems light.
Cernak, who wasn’t penalized for the hit, can return to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s lineup Saturday. Dahlin, meanwhile, is out indefinitely, the Sabres announced prior to Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames.
“We’re just going to accept the result as it is,” coach Ralph Krueger said inside KeyBank ... Read the full article