Krebs - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Tage Thompson enters NHL’s COVID-19 protocol

BUFFALO – The Sabres this morning placed Tage Thompson, their top center and leading goal scorer, in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.

In addition to Thompson, forwards Peyton Krebs, Kyle Okposo and Alex Tuch are in protocol. Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald, who entered protocol last Monday, returned to practice this morning.

The Sabres this morning reassigned winger Jack Quinn from the Rochester Americans to the taxi squad. They will likely also need to recall another forward before ... Read the full article

Talented Anders Bjork returns to Sabres looking for more consistency

BUFFALO – Over his first 44 games with the Sabres, winger Anders Bjork has struggled to maintain consistency, mostly showcasing flashes of his talent.

Bjork, 25, scored opening night before beginning a 10-game goalless stretch. After scoring in back-to-back contests, he endured a 12-game goal drought in which he was scratched twice.

Sabres coach Don Granato said Bjork must learn to regularly imprint his identity as a player – “His is speed and quickness,” he ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Victor Olofsson believes he will start scoring: ‘Knocking on the door’

BUFFALO – Since Sabres winger Victor Olofsson returned from a soft tissue injury Nov. 21, he has recorded zero goals in 17 games, a career-long drought. The Swede hasn’t scored since Oct. 31, when he registered his fifth goal in the season’s eighth contest.

Given his power-play scoring prowess, Olofsson wasn’t prone to long slumps over his first two NHL seasons. His previous career-long goalless stretch was just eight games.

So what’s going on? How ... Read the full article

Sabres add three more players to NHL’s COVID-19 protocol

BUFFALO – Coach Don Granato said dealing with COVID-19 and the chaos it creates has become “almost a new normal.” For two weeks, the virus has been ravaging the Sabres, forcing players and staff members into the NHL’s protocol and five games to be postponed.

On Tuesday, three more players – forward Anders Bjork, Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch – went into protocol. Granato said the Sabres also held defenseman Henri Jokiharju out of practice ... Read the full article

Peyton Krebs’ nifty assist creates Alex Tuch’s first goal with Sabres

Having previously played with Peyton Krebs, winger Alex Tuch said he knew a pass was coming before the center’s nifty no-look backhand created his first goal with the Sabres.

“I’m not really surprised that he did that,” Tuch said on a Zoom call following Saturday’s afternoon’s 4-3 overtime loss at TD Garden in Boston. “I saw it coming the whole way.”

Tuch, however, might’ve been the only one in the building who thought Krebs ... Read the full article

Weakened Sabres don’t have answers for Islanders

It was a recipe for disaster Thursday. The Buffalo Sabres played the second game of a back-to-back missing a whopping 11 players because of injury or illness.

Not surprisingly, the Sabres, who had four players make their debut a night earlier, struggled early and fell 4-1 to the New York Islanders.

In COVID times, of course, teams can find themselves down several players in a day or two.

The Sabres have built up some nice ... Read the full article

Alex Tuch’s debut sign of brighter times ahead for Sabres

BUFFALO – The result doesn’t matter. That the undermanned Sabres lost 4-3, even to the reeling New Jersey Devils, wasn’t surprising. The rebuilding team has six players in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and played its first game in 12 days.

Wednesday was about the debuts of Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka and what their presence represents for the Sabres’ future.

After a decade of futility, the Sabres finally seem to be adding the right ... Read the full article

COVID-19 keeps hitting Sabres; Ethan Prow could make NHL debut

BUFFALO – Make that four. In addition to forwards Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch, it appears another player, defenseman Ethan Prow, will be making his Sabres debut tonight.

Like Peterka, Prow, 29, has never played in the NHL. Ironically, Peterka and Prow were teammates last season with Red Bull Munich, a Deutsche Eishockey Liga team.

The Sabres this morning recalled Prow to the taxi squad and Casey Fitzgerald to the active roster because ... Read the full article

Debuts of Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch offer Sabres some hope

BUFFALO – In the Sabres’ recent history, games as significant as tonight’s can be counted on one hand. How often have three highly regarded young players – in this case, forwards Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch – all made their debuts together?

Their presence illustrates that after a decade of futility, maybe – just maybe – a franchise known for dysfunction is starting to get things rights.

In less than a year, the ... Read the full article

Sabres in NHL’s COVID-19 protocol likely unavailable Wednesday

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Don Granato and the five players in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol will likely be unavailable for Wednesday’s home game against the New Jersey Devils, assistant coach Matt Ellis said.

“I believe our list is our list and we will not have anyone available from that tomorrow,” Ellis, who’s subbing for Granato, said following this morning’s practice inside KeyBank Center.

In addition to Granato, forwards Dylan Cozens, Zemgus Girgensons, Vinnie Hinostroza, Mark ... Read the full article