Jokiharju - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres notes: Casey Fitzgerald, young defensemen taking over blue line

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

Sabres to make lineup change as Henri Jokiharju returns from injury

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju will return tonight from a lower-body injury that has sidelined him the last six games, coach Don Granato said.

To make room, Granato said the Sabres will scratch defenseman Mark Pysyk against the Vegas Golden Knights.

When the Sabres had a surfeit of defensemen last month, they began rotating one in and out each game. Right now, however, Granato wants the team’s young defenders keep playing.

... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Henri Jokiharju, other injured players close to returning

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

Ex-Sabre Sam Reinhart back in Buffalo thriving with Panthers

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

Sabres experience ‘playoff hockey’ in loss to Kings

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

Injured Henri Jokiharju out against Blues; Sabres make roster move

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.

... Read the full article

Weary Sabres miss injured Rasmus Dahlin, implode against Blue Jackets

The Buffalo Sabres weathered the Columbus Blue Jackets’ early onslaught Sunday, escaping the opening 15 minutes with a 1-0 deficit despite being outshot 16-1.

Then defenseman Mark Pysyk scored on the Sabres’ second shot on goal, igniting his weary teammates. Center Tage Thompson followed at 17:14, scoring his 20th goal.

That lead lasted 10 seconds.

Boone Jenner tied it, and Dean Kukan’s second goal of the night – he entered the game with one all ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Henri Jokiharju thriving on top defense pair with Rasmus Dahlin

BUFFALO – Having established himself as a top-pair defenseman for the rebuilding Sabres, it can be easy to forget how badly Henri Jokiharju struggled throughout much of last season.

This afternoon against the Colorado Avalanche, Jokiharju will almost certainly eclipse the 20-minute mark in ice time for the 11th consecutive game. The Finn, along with his partner, Rasmus Dahlin, will be tasked with trying to shut down Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, ... Read the full article

Victor Olofsson ends slump, scores two goals in Sabres’ win: ‘That was huge’

BUFFALO – As Sabres winger Victor Olofsson’s marathon goal drought neared the three-and-a-half month mark, he started watching video to remind himself that, hey, sometimes a slump isn’t quite as bad as it feels.

In the games before he scored the late go-ahead goal in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the New York Islanders, Olofsson began feeling better about his play. The clips illustrated the Swede has excelled in some areas despite his goal-scoring woes.

“That ... Read the full article

Dynamic four-goal game shows Sabres’ Jeff Skinner back as elite scorer

In the two seasons following his scintillating 40-goal campaign in 2018-19, it appeared Sabres winger Jeff Skinner would never recapture the scoring prowess he possessed throughout that career year.

Skinner, who enjoyed a dynamic afternoon in Sunday’s 5-3 win, scoring a career-high four goals and adding an assist, looked finished as an elite NHL scorer.

Last season, Skinner scored just seven times in 53 games and was scratched three times. In 2019-20, he recorded 11 ... Read the full article