Minnesota Wild - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Owen Power, Tage Thompson star as Sabres roar back to beat Wild in OT: ‘Like a playoff game’

BUFFALO – Less than a week into the season, the Sabres have kept showcasing more of the maturity that helped buoy them to a thrilling 109-point campaign last year.

To wit: in each of the last two games, they’ve erased 2-0 deficits, roaring back for wins.

In Tuesday’s exciting 3-2 victory, which defenseman Owen Power won with 37.4 seconds left in overtime, they plowed forward after an iffy penalty and an awful non-call helped put ... Read the full article

Undersized Sabres D Zach Metsa earns respect for fight with Mathieu Olivier: ‘Extremely courageous’

BUFFALO – No one expected it. After all, Sabres defenseman Zach Metsa doesn’t fight much. As a pro, he said he had only scrapped once before taking on heavyweight Mathieu Olivier in Thursday’s season opener in Columbus.

As a rookie with the Rochester Americans, the 5-foot-9, 201-pound Metsa said he fought a member of the Syracuse Crunch whose name he doesn’t remember.

“I think he was No. 18,” Metsa said Saturday in KeyBank Center.

In ... Read the full article

Injured Sabres Alex Lyon, Jason Zucker skate with teammates; Buffalo likely to make lineup change

BUFFALO – In the coming days or weeks, the Sabres could be faced with a good problem: they might have too many players.

Goalie Alex Lyon (left shoulder) and winger Jason Zucker (offseason sports hernia surgery) both joined their teammates for this morning’s optional pregame skate as the they prepared for tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said there’s no timetable for Lyon’s return to the lineup, while Zucker could still ... Read the full article

Year after waiver claim brought him to Buffalo, goalie Colten Ellis entrenched with Sabres, ready for first start

BUFFALO – It was exactly one year ago today – Oct. 6, 2025 – when the Sabres claimed a little-known goalie named Colten Ellis with no NHL experience off waivers.

These days, Ellis, who’s expected to make his first start this season tonight against the Minnesota Wild at KeyBank Center, is a big piece of the Sabres, having established himself as a strong option throughout a surprising rookie campaign.

“Looking back a year ago today, ... Read the full article

Sabres roar back against Wild, lose in OT; Josh Norris misses second game

BUFFALO – It was about to be one heck of a penalty kill for the Sabres. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson cleared the puck down down the ice, seemingly extinguishing the power play the Minnesota Wild carried into Saturday afternoon’s overtime.

But Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson skated out to the left circle and quickly flung the puck up to Kirill Kaprizov at the Buffalo blue line as the Sabres changed. Kaprizov skated in and fed Mats Zuccarello, ... Read the full article

Mature, consistent game as No. 1 center helps Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius earn first recall from Rochester

BRIGHTON – Center prospect Konsta Helenius’ first recall to Buffalo could be brief. Right now, the Sabres are scorching, having won 15 of their last 17 games, and coach Lindy Ruff hasn’t tinkered with his lineup much over the past five weeks.

If Sabres center Josh Norris, who’s day to day with an upper-body injury, heals quickly, Helenius, 19, could be returned to the Rochester Americans without playing a game.

The Sabres, who host the ... Read the full article

Sabres Hall call caught Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville off guard

BUFFALO – During a break in Thursday’s second period, Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville were told to stand alongside Ryan Miller, their close friend and former Sabres teammate, as he addressed the crowd on the video boards.

Vanek said he figured he and Pominville would serve as Miller’s “hype guys” as he spoke.

When Miller began talking, it became clear what was happening.... Read the full article

Sabres outplay Wild, still lose in Tage Thompson’s return from injury

BUFFALO – The final outcome, a 1-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild that ended their three-game winning streak, did not discourage the Sabres.

Why should it? They outplayed the Wild from the get-go Wednesday, outshooting them 16-4 in the first period and 39-29 overall. They attempted a whopping 87 shots, 32 more than their opponent.

As Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson stymied every scoring chance, the Sabres plowed forward, refusing to deviate from their game plan ... Read the full article

In midst of slump, Sabres’ Jack Quinn looks like scoring threat again

BUFFALO – For one of the few times this season, you couldn’t miss Jack Quinn. The Sabres winger dazzled throughout the night, aggressively creating offense.

Quinn, 23, was often the best player on the ice.

While he did not score, similar efforts will almost certainly produce the goals that have been so difficult to come by this season.

“I thought it was my best game by far,” Quinn said of Friday’s 3-2 overtime road ... Read the full article

OT goal, faceoff ability illustrate rookie Jiri Kulich could stick with Sabres

BUFFALO – In just days following his recall, Sabres rookie Jiri Kulich morphed from a raw but talented neophyte into a huge contributor and trusted asset coach Lindy Ruff utilized in critical situations.

On Friday in Anaheim, Kulich’s 12th NHL outing and second as a center, his natural position, he scored in overtime to clinch the Sabres’ 3-2 win against the Ducks.

“To be honest, I was always dreaming about this moment,” Kulich said following ... Read the full article