WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Calder Cup Playoffs Edition
Henri Jokiharju has impressed the Sabres. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – Just five games into the season, Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju and winger Victor Olofsson have earned spots in the NHL.
The Sabres have told both youngsters to leave the hotel they’ve been staying in and find something more permanent.
“They’re both out hunting for places to live,” Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said today inside KeyBank Center. “But, again, the competition in the league doesn’t stop. The pressure on you doesn’t stop to perform.”... Read the full article
Linus Ullmark made 41 saves Friday. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Sooner or later, the unheralded Sabres line of Johan Larsson and Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo was due to erupt for some goals.
For more than four games, the trio consistently generated offense, buzzing around the opponent’s zone.
A combination regarded as the fourth just a week ago has quickly morphed into the Sabres’ most reliable line.
But other than one Okposo goal, the players hadn’t done any scoring.... Read the full article
Henri Jokiharju has been playing in key situations. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Ralph Krueger doesn’t pay much attention to his players’ ages. Whether you’re a teenager and or a veteran, the Sabres coach said he treats everyone the same way.
In turn, Krueger expects a rookie to have the same habits as, say, a 35-year-old.
“So for younger players, that could sometimes put pressure on them,” Krueger said prior to Friday’s 3-2 shootout win over the Florida Panthers inside KeyBank Center. “For older players, it ... Read the full article
Linus Ullmark made 40 saves Monday. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – Fresh off a terrific 40-save outing in his first appearance this season, Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark will start tonight’s home game the Florida Panthers.
Ullmark, 26, looked strong throughout Monday’s 4-3 overtime road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, helping the Sabres steal a point.
The Swede has compiled a 2-2-1 record with a 3.18 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage in five career outings against the Panthers.
Sabres goalie Carter Hutton ... Read the full article
Victor Olofsson has roared out of the gate. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Winger Kyle Okposo still remembers the first time he and some other Sabres watched rookie Victor Olofsson shoot the puck.
It was training camp in 2018, and Olofsson had just arrived for his first North American season after leading the Swedish Hockey League in goals.
What Okposo and the others saw wowed them.
“We were just like, ‘Who is this kid who can shoot the puck like this?’” Okposo said Thursday inside KeyBank ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel (9) skates past Shea Weber on Wednesday. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Officially, center Marcus Johansson’s winner 1:30 into overtime Wednesday doesn’t count as the Sabres’ ninth power-play goal this season.
Johansson secured the Sabres’ third win in four tries (3-0-1), an exciting 5-4 triumph over the Montreal Canadiens, five seconds after center Phillip Danault’s slashing penalty expired.
So, yes, on paper, Johansson’s one-timer from the right circle goes down as an even-strength score. But Danault hadn’t even gotten back into the play yet.
Make ... Read the full article
Ralph Krueger is in his first season coaching the Sabres. ©2019, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Six years ago, Ralph Krueger’s job as a consultant for Team Canada’s Olympic entry at the Sochi Games offered the Sabres coach a chance to discuss hockey with some the game’s greatest minds.
Mike Babcock, Ken Hitchcock, Claude Julien and former Sabres coach Lindy Ruff all served on Canada’s coaching staff.
“It was the best hockey coaching symposium you could go through with that group because of the way everybody exchanged everything,” Krueger ... Read the full article
Conor Sheary has an upper-body injury. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Right now, the Sabres don’t plan to recall a forward to replace winger Conor Sheary, who’s week-to-week after suffering an upper-body injury Monday, the team announced this morning.
The Sabres have 12 healthy forwards for tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, which is enough for coach Ralph Krueger and general manager Jason Botterill.
Evan Rodrigues, a healthy scratch the first three games, practiced Tuesday in Sheary’s spot at right wing beside ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner has moved beside center Marcus Johansson. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – As defenseman Ryan Murray started carrying the puck out from behind the Blue Jackets net Monday, Sabres winger Jeff Skinner lurked close by and followed him up the slot.
Before Murray could skate past the circles, Skinner stripped the puck and took off toward the net. The 40-goal scorer then beat Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo, tying the game at 11:58 into the second period.
“That was a pure Jeff Skinner goal,” Sabres coach ... Read the full article
Evan Rodrigues was surprised the Sabres scratched him. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – When Evan Rodrigues found out he would be starting the season as the Sabres’ 13th forward, he said he was “shocked.”
“That was obviously not a situation I thought I’d be in,” Rodrigues, who will make his season debut Wednesday, said following today’s practice inside KeyBank Center.
Rodrigues, 26, played 74 contests last season, showcasing his versatility up and down the lineup at center and both wing positions.
In late July, an arbitrator ... Read the full article
