Mittelstadt - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres end home stand with loss to Lightning; Don Granato confused by late penalty on Zach Benson

BUFFALO – When their six-game home stand began, the Sabres had an opportunity to ignite a run and roar into playoff contention. Instead, they blew perhaps their best chance to make up ground against their Eastern Conference foes.

The Sabres finished their longest stint at KeyBank Center this season 3-3-0. Kind of meh.

Overall, having gone 5-3-0 in their last eight outings, they’ve showcased improvement, most notably defensively. Still, they must make up seven points ... Read the full article

Jeff Skinner among Sabres greats as he keeps evolving, scoring goals

BUFFALO – These days, you rarely hear about that hefty contract Sabres winger Jeff Skinner signed five years ago. The 14-year veteran has not only recaptured his scoring prowess under coach Don Granato, he has evolved into a consistent, multi-faceted threat.

In averaging 34 goals and 73 points over the past two seasons, the struggles Skinner, 31, endured three and four years ago – he mustered six goals and 11 points during a wretched 66-game ... Read the full article

Erik Johnson misses practice as other injured Sabres near returns

BUFFALO – Now, the Sabres have four players who are day to day with upper-body injuries.

Defenseman Erik Johnson, who missed Friday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter, has joined the list. Phillipp Kurashev hit Johnson, 35, awkwardly into the end boards in the third period in Thursday’s 3-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, earning a five-minute major for boarding. Johnson immediately departed the game.

Two of the Sabres with upper-body injures – defenseman Mattias Samuelsson and ... Read the full article

Hockey smarts help Sabres rookie Zach Benson solidify top line

BUFFALO – Early in Monday afternoon’s 3-0 win, Sabres coach Don Granato shuffled his lines to give them more directness.

Most notably, he shifted Casey Mittelstadt from left wing on the top line, where he had been subbing for Jeff Skinner, to center, his natural position, between Jordan Greenway and captain Kyle Okposo.

To replace Mittelstadt alongside center Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, he promoted 18-year-old rookie Zach Benson, who began the game playing with ... Read the full article

Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stars in shutout, emerging as Sabres’ starter

BUFFALO – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s run as the Sabres’ starting goalie this season lasted about a week.

Shortly after he grabbed the No. 1 job, he got sick and missed about 10 days. When he returned, rookie Devon Levi had re-established himself following a brief trip to the minors, and the netminders mostly alternated starts about the next month.

But since Dec. 30, Luukkonen, who posted a 28-save shutout in Monday afternoon’s 3-0 win over the ... Read the full article

Sabres generate offense, still lose to Canucks; Mattias Samuelsson leaves game with head injury

BUFFALO – In the second period of Saturday afternoon’s 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, the Sabres had just three defensemen available, so they utilized winger Zemgus Girgensons on the back end for a few shifts.

The Sabres, of course, started the game with six defensemen. But 13 seconds into the second period, Filip Hronek elbowed Mattias Samuelsson in the head, knocking him into concussion protocol out of the contest. At 4:02, J.T. Miller elbowed ... Read the full article

Injured Sabres center Tage Thompson ‘possibility’ to play against Canucks

BUFFALO – In the past, coach Don Granato said, the Sabres have experienced similar situations in which they wondered if center Tage Thompson would be able to play.

“You don’t know and, boom, he’s ready to go,” Granato said of other injuries Thompson has endured. “So he’s ultra-competitive. He’s played lots of games not at 100 percent and below.”

Granato there’s a “possibility” Thompson, 26, can play in this afternoon’s game against the Vancouver Canucks ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jeff Skinner week to week with injury; Buffalo makes lineup change

BUFFALO – In a best-case scenario, the Sabres will be without winger Jeff Skinner, their leading goal scorer, for about three or four games.

Skinner, 31, is week to week after suffering an upper-body injury in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken. Coach Don Granato said the veteran will be re-evaluated in a week.

So perhaps Skinner, who has rarely been injured during his six seasons in Buffalo, will be back soon.

Still, the ... Read the full article

Defensive lapses doom Sabres in loss to Kraken: ‘It was the mistakes we made’

BUFFALO – The Seattle Kraken grabbed a commanding three-goal lead in the second period, and frustration immediately overwhelmed Sabres star Rasmus Dahlin.

Dahlin smashed his stick over the top of the net, looking more like a lumberjack than a defenseman, breaking it into two pieces.

The Sabres, having won two straight games for just the second time this season, began Tuesday feeling pretty good about themselves. As they started a six-game home stand, they had ... Read the full article

After slow start, Connor Clifton quietly generating offense for Sabres

PITTSBURGH – Pop quiz, Buffalo Sabres fans. Since Dec. 7, which player is tied with winger Alex Tuch for the team lead with eight assists?

Is it one of the Sabres’ top centers, Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens or Casey Mittelstadt? Or how about one of their high-scoring wingers, JJ Peterka or Jeff Skinner? What about their defenseman who piles up points like a first-line forward, Rasmus Dahlin?

If you guessed any of the above, you’re ... Read the full article