McCabe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Two more Sabres added to COVID-related absences list

The NHL on Saturday added Buffalo Sabres forwards Dylan Cozens and Curtis Lazar to its COVID-19 protocol-related absences list.

Seven Sabres players are now on the COVID-19 list. Wingers Taylor Hall and Tobias Rieder and defensemen Jake McCabe, Brandon Montour and Rasmus Ristolainen were added earlier in the week.

In addition, the Sabres announced Thursday that coach Ralph Krueger, 61, had tested positive for COVID-19 and would enter the NHL’s protocol.... Read the full article

Sabres coach Ralph Krueger tests positive for COVID-19

Buffalo Sabres coach Ralph Krueger has tested positive for COVID-19 and will enter the NHL’s COVID protocol, the team announced Thursday morning.

Krueger, 61, is the first staff member the Sabres have announced as testing positive.

Later Thursday, defenseman Jake McCabe became the fifth Sabres player added to the league’s COVID-19 protocol-related absences list in the last three days, joining winger Taylor Hall, defenseman Brandon Montour, winger Tobias Rieder and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.

The NHL ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jake McCabe added to COVID-related absences list

The NHL on Thursday added Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe to its COVID-19 protocol-related absences list.

Earlier in the day, the Sabres announced coach Ralph Krueger, 61, had tested positive for COVID-19 and will enter the NHL’s protocol.

Five Sabres players are now on the COVID-19 list. In addition to McCabe, winger Taylor Hall, defenseman Brandon Montour, winger Tobias Rieder and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen were added earlier this week.... Read the full article

Sabres need struggling Rasmus Dahlin to bounce back after benching

In Friday’s 4-3 shootout loss, Sabres coach Ralph Krueger benched Rasmus Dahlin, playing the struggling defenseman just one 73-second shift over the game’s final 32 minutes.

Dahlin, 20, looked lost around Buffalo’s net, allowing the Capitals to convert two easy chances he could’ve nullified. After Jakub Vrana scored 13:07 into the second period, a frustrated Dahlin smashed his stick into the ice.

His night was just about done. He only played one more ... Read the full article

Sabres look rusty early, fall to Capitals in season opener after late comeback

BUFFALO – If Thursday’s disjointed performance against the Washington Capitals turns out to be a harbinger, the Sabres could be in for another long season.

In their highly anticipated season opener, the Sabres, who had six new faces in the lineup, looked like the same old team, losing 6-4 inside KeyBank Center.

If fans had been allowed to attend the game, you can bet they would’ve voiced their frustration a few times.

After a 10-month ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Eric Staal leaves loss to Capitals after hit to jaw

BUFFALO – Sabres center Eric Staal left Thursday’s 6-4 season-opening loss to the Washington Capitals after Nic Dowd elbowed him in the jaw.

Coach Ralph Krueger had no update following the game on Staal, who was acquired from the Minnesota Wild on Sept. 16 to center the second line.

“I saw what you saw,” Krueger said on a Zoom call. “We’re just assessing him. It’s one of those where it’s definitely in a day-to-day status ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Carter Hutton earns opening night start

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Ralph Krueger’s decision to award goalie Carter Hutton the opening night start against the Washington Capitals wasn’t surprising.

Yes, Hutton, 35, struggled most of last season, losing 12 straight decisions at one point. But his turnaround started at the end of 2019-20, when enjoyed a 6-2-0 run in February.

Hutton performed strongly throughout training camp this year, quickly morphing into one of the Sabres’ standouts. Meanwhile, goalie Linus Ullmark missed the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ roster almost set; Dylan Cozens, Jack Quinn to remain in Buffalo

BUFFALO – The 27 players who participated in Tuesday’s practice will start the season on the Sabres’ roster or taxi squad, coach Ralph Krueger said.

That means 19-year-old forward prospects Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn, Buffalo’s last two first-round picks, will remain in the NHL for now.

Of course, the Sabres must sort some things out before Thursday’s opener against the Washington Capitals at KeyBank Center.

Krueger said center Curtis Lazar (lower-body injury) and ... Read the full article

Sabres prepared for unexpected as training camp opens during pandemic

Short training camps are nothing new for Ralph Krueger.

Krueger spent 13 years leading Team Switzerland at major international tournaments. He coached Team Europe to the final of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, a gig that helped him land in Buffalo. Prior to joining the Sabres, his only season as an NHL head coach, 2012-13, began in January following a lockout.

Krueger had about a week to begin putting his mark on the ... Read the full article

Sabres release training camp roster, schedule; 37 players to participate

On Friday, the Buffalo Sabres will touch the KeyBank Center ice for the first time in 296 days and begin preparing for the most unusual of seasons.

The NHL will be attempting to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will likely experience problems – positive tests, postponements or even cancellations – as the schedule unfolds.

But those potential roadblocks can be examined another day. The Sabres’ 10-month break is nearly over. Training camp officially ... Read the full article