WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Jack Quinn has played 33 games this season. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – For a day or two, rookie Jack Quinn is technically a member of the Rochester Americans again. In a paper move on Thursday morning, the Sabres loaned the winger to their AHL affiliate to create room to recall goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Quinn, 21, isn’t going anywhere. The Sabres needed a roster spot and he can be assigned to the minors without waivers.
General manager Kevyn Adams said on Monday the Sabres would ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo knows the Sabres need to start better than they did on Monday. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In a span of two days, the Sabres won a thrilling come-from-behind overtime contest before a raucous capacity crowd and got shut out in front of about 9,000 empty seats.
The ebb and flow of a grueling six-month season can create some real clunkers, and the Sabres clearly experienced a letdown on Monday in losing 4-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center.
Fresh off Saturday’s exciting 6-5 triumph against the Minnesota Wild, ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin had two goals and five points on Saturday. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – By the end of one of the most brilliant performances by a Sabres defenseman in their 53-year history, Rasmus Dahlin was exhausted.
Dahlin, having surpassed a minute on the ice, desperately wanted to get to the bench for a breather late in Saturday’s frantic overtime against the Minnesota Wild.
“I was going to, but I have to play defense,” Dahlin said following his dynamic two-goal, five-point performance in the Sabres’ thrilling 6-5 win. ... Read the full article
Zemgus Girgensons (left), Peyton Krebs (center) and Kyle Okposo form a strong checking line. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In the second period of Thursday’s 6-3 win, Sabres center Peyton Krebs zoomed into the Detroit zone to chase down a loose puck and drove Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider into the boards behind the net.
Krebs, who’s four inches shorter and 17 pounds lighter than Seider, gained possession. A split-second later, linemate Zemgus Girgensons fed captain Kyle Okposo in front for the first of his three goals in the Sabres’ fifth ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo has scored three goals this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Twenty-five games into his season, Kyle Okposo has beaten a goalie just once. While the Sabres captain has scored three goals, two have gone into empty nets.
The veteran winger started slowly after getting injured at the end of training camp. He has also left the lineup twice because of injuries, missing seven total games.
A year after scoring 21 times, his highest output since 2015-16, Okposo said his 16th NHL season has ... Read the full article
Craig Anderson made 40 saves Tuesday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – At 41, Sabres goalie Craig Anderson hasn’t shown many signs of graying. In fact, the NHL’s oldest player can even make hockey’s toughest position look easy.
Take, for example, the 20-year veteran’s splendid 40-save performance in Tuesday’s 6-0 shellacking of the Los Angeles Kings, the 43rd shutout of his decorated career.
Anderson was the Sabres’ backbone as they struggled to generate offense early, making 16-first period stops and 30 saves through 40 minutes ... Read the full article
Peyton Krebs has scored two goals in the last three games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
PITTSBURGH – With the Buffalo Sabres trailing by one goal in the waning minutes of Saturday’s 3-1 loss, winger JJ Peterka set up a splendid scoring chance for linemate Jack Quinn at the top of the right circle.
But instead of unleashing a shot on goalie Casey DeSmith, the rookie quickly passed to center Dylan Cozens, who couldn’t handle the puck in the left circle.
“Everybody watching wishes Jack Quinn would have taken that shot ... Read the full article
Peyton Krebs recently sat out four games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When the Sabres scratched Peyton Krebs four out of five games late last month, Tage Thompson texted his teammate one night and reminded him of what he experienced not long ago.
By now, Thompson’s story is well known. The center struggled for years to make a mark. Less than two seasons ago, he was a healthy scratch. Today, of course, he’s one of the NHL’s most prolific goal scorers.
“When he was my ... Read the full article
Dylan Cozens has been on a tear over the past few weeks. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Forget about Dylan Cozens’ skill set for a moment. What makes the Sabres center such a unique talent and one of the NHL’s burgeoning young stars are the intangibles he possesses.
Cozens, 21, plays a mature, tenacious style that belies his limited experience.
“He competes for the right reason being in a team sport,” Sabres coach Don Granato said following Tuesday’s practice at KeyBank Center. “He brings guys in with him, he drags ... Read the full article
Peyton Krebs returned to the lineup Thursday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres inserted center Peyton Krebs for Thursday’s 5-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, just his second appearance in the last six games.
To make room for Krebs, a healthy scratch the previous three contests, the Sabres sat out winger Vinnie Hinostroza.
That Krebs, 21, had been bumped out of the lineup wasn’t surprising. He sat out two games in late October when the Sabres briefly began rotating forwards. He had mustered zero ... Read the full article
