WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
January Edition
Colin Miller gives the Sabres five right-handed defensemen. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – The Sabres’ acquisition of defenseman Colin Miller from the Vegas Golden Knights for two draft picks Friday night will only fuel speculation more moves are coming soon.
Right-shot defenseman are coveted by NHL teams. The Sabres now possess five of them, a high number they must trim to create more balance on their defense pairs.
Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, of course, is a righty. After six seasons of losing in Buffalo, a ... Read the full article
The Sabres could have another trade in the works. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – The Sabres acquired defenseman Colin Miller from the Vegas Golden Knights tonight for a second-round pick in 2021 and a fifth-round selection in 2022.
The 6-foot-1, 196-pound Miller, 26, compiled three goals and 26 points in 65 games last season. Miller has three years left on a contract that pays him $3.875 million annually.... Read the full article
Victor Olofsson had zero points in the short series. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
TORONTO – Fresh off a 99-point regular season, the Rochester Americans looked poised to start a long playoff run deep into the spring.
The Buffalo Sabres’ top affiliate possessed a strong mix of prospects and veterans, terrific scoring balance and perhaps the AHL’s best depth.
It was hard to find a weakness on the Amerks, a team constructed to win the Calder Cup.
For an organization that hasn’t won anything on any level in a ... Read the full article
The Sabres acquired Brandon Montour on Sunday. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Since Brandon Montour spent three and a half seasons in California playing for the Anaheim Ducks and their AHL affiliate in San Diego, the Sabres newcomer wasn’t exactly prepared for the harsh northeastern winter.
So on Wednesday, his first day in Buffalo, the defenseman spent part of his day off at a local mall purchasing some items to help him endure the elements.
After Montour returned to his snow-covered rental car, he tweeted ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner has scored 29 goals this season. ©2019, Hickling Images
Buffalo Sabres winger Jeff Skinner will be playing for the Atlantic Division in the upcoming NHL All-Star Game.
Skinner, the NHL’s second-leading goal scorer with 29, earned a spot today as part of the “Last Men In” online voting the NHL conducted for the last week.
More than 11.5 million votes were cast, including more than 2 million Thursday, the final day of voting, according to the league.... Read the full article
Chad Johnson joined Anaheim earlier this month. ©2018, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – When former Sabres goalie Chad Johnson entered free agency and began studying teams he could potentially join, he zeroed in on the St. Louis Blues.
Johnson, 32, examined the Blues on paper, talked to people familiar with them and did enough homework to feel comfortable signing a one-year, $1.75 million contract July 1.
“I thought it was going to be a good fit,” Johnson, who endured a rough season with the Sabres in ... Read the full article
Matt Hunwick has missed 31 games this season. ©2018, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – On April 1, defenseman Matt Hunwick made his 521st NHL appearance, skating just over 12 minutes in Pittsburgh’s 3-1 loss in Washington.
More than eight months later, Hunwick, 33, hasn’t played another game. That should, however, change tonight for the Sabres newcomer, who has missed the first 31 contests this season recovering from a neck injury.
The Sabres plan to have Hunwick start an AHL rehab assignment with the Rochester Americans, Sabres coach ... Read the full article
Carter Hutton has already played 14 games this season. ©2018, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – In his first nine pro seasons, Sabres goalie Carter Hutton hit the 50-game mark just once, in 2012-13 with the Rockford Ice Hogs, his final AHL campaign.
So while Hutton, 32, has enjoyed a solid NHL career tending goal for four teams, he has never really been the guy in the big leagues until this season.
Sure, he played a career-high 40 games as a rookie in 2013-14, but that was mostly subbing ... Read the full article
The team presented Jason Pominville a silve sabre before the game. ©2018, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Celebrations like the one the Sabres threw for Jason Pominville’s 1,000-game milestone often mean a long, distinguished career is entering its final stage.
These days, with 30 being considered old by NHL standards, very few players possess longevity like Pominville’s. Even fewer keep producing offense like they’re still in their mid-20s.
But right now, Pominville, a winger who has compiled 285 goals and 710 points over his NHL seasons, looks like he’s still ... Read the full article
Jason Pominville celebrates a goal last week. ©2018, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Of all the places it could’ve been played, it turns out Jason Pominville will hit the prestigious 1,000-game mark tonight in Ottawa, the site of the winger’s signature moment, the dynamic short-handed overtime goal against the powerhouse Senators that pushed the underdog Sabres into the 2006 Eastern Conference final.
“(I) had some great, great moments there, probably my best moment as a player there,” Pominville said earlier this week inside KeyBank Center. “The ... Read the full article