Malenstyn - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Struggling Sabres change lineup again by inserting young forwards

BUFFALO – After sitting out Saturday’s 4-0 loss to the Utah Mammoth as healthy scratches, forwards Konsta Helenius and Jiri Kulich are in the lineup for this afternoon’s game against the Florida Panthers.

To make, room the Sabres scratched forwards Sam Carrick and Justin Danforth.

There was some belief the struggling Sabres, who have lost two straight games, might scratch Ryan McLeod or Josh Norris, both of whom are goalless this season.... Read the full article

Sabres to scratch Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich; Colten Ellis to start in goal

BUFFALO – Fresh off Thursday’s embarrassing 4-0 loss to the Dallas Stars, you expected the Sabres to change their lineup for tonight’s game against Utah Mammoth.

Sure enough, coach Lindy Ruff will be scratching young forwards Konsta Helenius, 20, and Jiri Kulich, 22, and inserting Sam Carrick and Tyson Kozak.

Meanwhile, goalie Colten Ellis is expected to start tonight. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who played three of the first four games, has a ghastly .782 save percentage.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Lindy Ruff confident Josh Doan will start scoring: ‘All the faith’

BUFFALO – For the final 15 minutes of Tuesday’s thrilling 3-2 overtime win, Sabres winger Josh Doan, who began the night skating on the top line, watched from the bench.

Following the game, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff acknowledged the obvious, that Doan, who went pointless in the first three contests, is “struggling right now.”

So when Ruff shortened his bench and revamped his lines late against the Minnesota Wild, Doan, 24, was one of ... Read the full article

Peyton Krebs, the Sabres’ ‘Swiss Army knife,’ has grown under Lindy Ruff: ‘He’s trusted me’

BUFFALO – As a first-line winger, a role he assumed for the Sabres late in Tuesday’s come-from-behind win, the versatile Peyton Krebs transforms his mentality.

Alongside center Tage Thompson and another scoring threat, Krebs knows he must forecheck, meaning he will have the puck less than he does skating on the third or fourth line.

“Kind of just contribute to those guys making sure they’re getting the puck,” Krebs told the Times Herald during training ... Read the full article

Sabres lose Mattias Samuelsson, Olen Zellweger to injuries in preseason win

BUFFALO – Uh-oh. Tuesday’s 5-1 preseason win over the Columbus Blue Jackets’ junior varsity squad proved to be costly, as defensemen Mattias Samuelsson and Olen Zellweger both left the game with injuries.

Samuelsson, 26, blocked Luca Pinelli’s shot 4:36 into the second period before leaving the game around the halfway mark.

Coach Lindy Ruff said Samuelsson, the Sabres’ top shutdown defender, will be further evaluated today.... Read the full article

Sabres preseason: Buffalo to dress full NHL lineup versus Columbus; Jiri Kulich to keep playing

BUFFALO – With the exception of one goalie, the lineup the Sabres will dress for tonight’s preseason game against the Blue Jackets is likely the one they field for their season opener Oct. 1 in Columbus.

With only four preseason games and veterans who have played 100 NHL games now limited to just two appearances, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff figured he would put his main group together tonight against the Blue Jackets’ B team.

Among ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jiri Kulich thrilled to participate in scrimmage after battling blot clot: ‘It’s pretty special’

BUFFALO – Jiri Kulich couldn’t stop smiling. Who cares if it was just an intrasquad scrimmage a few days into training camp? For the first time in since Nov. 1 – 322 days, to be exact – the Czech forward played alongside his Sabres teammates.

“It’s unreal,” an excited Kulich, who was sidelined by a blood clot last season, said following Saturday’s Blue and Gold scrimmage in KeyBank Center. “I can’t even describe the feeling. ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Beck Malenstyn to six-year contract

The Buffalo Sabres today signed winger Beck Malenstyn, who led the team in hits in each of the last two seasons, to a six-year, $17.5 million contract.

Malenstyn, 28, could’ve become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday.

The contract has a $2.917 million salary cap hit. He will receive a $2.5 million signing bonus in each of the first two seasons, according to Puckpedia.com.

The 6-foot-3, 209-pound Malenstyn registered 282 hits in 81 games last ... Read the full article

After special season, Sabres understand success isn’t guaranteed next year

BUFFALO – The Sabres boast one of the NHL’s deepest, most talented and youngest rosters.

On paper at least, they look poised to enjoy success in the coming years following a breakout season in which they ended their NHL-record 14-year playoff drought, won the Atlantic Division and came within one goal of reaching the Eastern Conference final.

“Just because you have success one year doesn’t mean that it guarantees that it translates to the next ... Read the full article

Whistle costs Beck Malenstyn, Sabres go-ahead goal: ‘A chaotic sequence’

BUFFALO – With Monday’s Game 7 tied halfway through the third period, Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram landed a shot from the point on Jakub Dobes that winger Jordan Greenway quickly poked through the goalie’s pads.

As the puck moved toward the goal line, referee Wes McCauley blew his whistle just before Sabres winger Beck Malenstyn knocked it into the net, raised his arms in celebration and the crowd erupted.

The goal did not count, and ... Read the full article