WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Spring Edition
Bowen Byram played all 82 games this season. ©2025, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When the Sabres traded for Bowen Byram before the 2024 deadline, general manager Kevyn Adams acknowledged they weren’t sure how he would fit in their lineup.
In Byram, they saw a talented defenseman drafted fourth overall who had won the Stanley Cup in 2022. Players of his caliber who have sipped from hockey’s holy grail rarely become available in their early 20s.
Adams couldn’t pass up adding a high-end defenseman, so he dealt ... Read the full article
Tage Thompson scores a breakaway goal Sunday on Boston goalie Joonas Korpisalo.
BUFFALO – Just like that, a 50-goal season might be attainable for scorching Sabres winger Tage Thompson. Six games are left. After scoring three times in Sunday’s 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins, he has 43 goals.
Is it likely he will become the first Sabres player to score 50 goals in 32 years? No, but the prestigious mark is certainly within reach.
Right now, Thompson is the NHL’s hottest scorer, having registered eight goals ... Read the full article
Kevyn Adams has assets to trade. ©2025, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – It’s over for this edition of Sabres. The same group of young talent that appeared to be on the precipice of something special two years ago will almost certainly be broken up in the coming days and months.
Expect some moves, possibly minor ones, to be made prior to Friday’s trade deadline. The last-place Sabres, after all, have players set to become unrestricted free agents following the season.
Significant deals, of course, usually ... Read the full article
Bowen Byran (left) and Rasmus Dahlin began playing together around Christmastime. ©2025, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Defensemen the caliber of Sabres studs Bowen Byram and Rasmus Dahlin rarely skate together as a tandem. Coaches typically pair a puck-rusher alongside a more stay-at-home defender.
Heck, most NHL teams don’t have one defenseman that talented, let alone two. It’s unique that coach Lindy Ruff had the option to put the slick blueliners together.
In moving Byram, 23, up with Dahlin, 24, around Christmastime, Ruff put a lot of aggressiveness on his ... Read the full article
Dylan Cozens has scored nine goals this season. ©2025, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Three days later, center Dylan Cozens still felt the sting of Saturday afternoon’s embarrassing 6-2 loss, an ugly game in which he registered a ghastly minus-4 rating as the Sabres blew an early two-goal lead.
As he has matured over his five-year NHL career, Cozens, an emotional competitor, said he has learned to stop dwelling on poor games.
“Or else it will just eat at you and kind of take over,” the ... Read the full article
Casey Mittelstadt acknowledges the crowd Tuesday in his return to Buffalo. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Former Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt knew a trade could be coming last season.
His emergence as a consistent point producer put him in line to sign a hefty new contract following the campaign. It also transformed him into perhaps general manager Kevyn Adams’ greatest asset as he scoured the market to improve the Sabres.
“I saw the writing on the wall a little bit,” Mittelstadt said Tuesday prior to his first game against ... Read the full article
Tage Thompson recently missed five games. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Following a five-game absence, Tage Thompson quickly resumed his role as the Sabres’ offensive catalyst, generating chance after chance during the last three contests.
The ultra-talented center has attempted 30 shots and landed 16 on goal since returning from a lower-body injury, the NHL’s third-highest total entering Monday’s schedule.
He converted zero of those opportunities.... Read the full article
Sam Lafferty was injured Friday. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres forward Sam Lafferty, who suffered a lower-body injury in Friday afternoon’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks, will be sidelined week to week, coach Lindy Ruff said.
“He’s doing OK, so it could be one those shorter things,” Ruff said following Monday’s practice in KeyBank Center.
Meanwhile, other injured Sabres are progressing.... Read the full article
Former Sabres prospects Matej Pekar (left), Oskari Laaksonen (center) and Filip Cederqvist all spent time in Rochester but never made it to Buffalo. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
It happens every year or so. One of the Buffalo Sabres’ unheralded mid- or late-round draft picks quickly grabs some attention. Maybe a YouTube sizzle reel builds a little hype. Other times his exploits in training or development camp can raise expectations.
“Who the heck is this guy?” fans might ask.
Matej Pekar’s aggressive antics just days after the Sabres drafted him in 2018 – he hit Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo’s top forward prospect at ... Read the full article
Bowen Byram joined Buffalo on March 6. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Following a torrid start – three goals and four points in his first three games – Sabres newcomer Bowen Byram has understandably cooled off.
Byram, 22, joined the Sabres in a significant trade March 6 that sent center Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche. While he has certainly showcased some of his talent here, the defenseman must acclimate to a new organization, teammates, expectations, surroundings and more.
“Lots of challenges, lots of getting ... Read the full article