Mittelstadt - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres implode early, rally in loss to Maple Leafs

TORONTO – Following a three-year AHL apprenticeship, the Sabres expect goalie Linus Ullmark to play around 30 games this season as their new backup.

So watching the Maple Leafs score on their first two shots and three of their first eight in the opening 3:42 of Friday’s preseason tilt had to be concerning.

Then Ullmark, 25, settled down nicely after the Sabres, who opened the scoring 30 seconds in, fell behind 3-1. Over the final ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Alexander Nylander enjoying strong camp

BUFFALO – Coaches regularly jumble their preseason line combinations as they evaluate talent and move players in and out. What you see during exhibition games usually doesn’t stick together for the regular season.

Still, one intriguing trio the Sabres will utilize tonight could remain intact.

This morning inside KeyBank Center, coach Phil Housley assembled three first-round picks – center Casey Mittelstadt and Alexander Nylander and Tage Thompson – for the Sabres’ road tilt against the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Sam Reinhart ends holdout, signs team-friendly bridge deal

BUFFALO – Given the premium paid for scoring, the two-year, $7.3 million contract winger Sam Reinhart signed Wednesday, ending his short holdout, could be a bargain for the Sabres.

Reinhart’s torrid second half last season – following an awful start, he recorded 18 goals and 37 points in the final 38 contests – signaled he might be ready to crack the 30-goal or 70-point marks.

If Reinhart, 22, hits or even approaches those numbers, his ... Read the full article

Sabres re-sign Sam Reinhart to two-year, $7.3 million contract

BUFFALO – Sam Reinhart’s holdout is over. The Sabres have re-signed the winger to a two-year, $7.3 million contract, the team announced late this morning.

Reinhart, 22, was the team’s last unsigned restricted free agent and missed the first five days of training camp.

Reinhart will receive $3.55 million this season and $3.75 million in 2019-20, according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. He will be an RFA again after the contract expires.

A bridge deal ... Read the full article

Sabres forwards Conor Sheary, Sean Malone out with injuries

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Conor Sheary, a newcomer expected to skate on a top line, is week-to-week after suffering an upper-body injury during Friday’s practice.

“In the first day (of training camp), he took a hit the wrong way, and we’re just making sure we’re on top of that,” said Sabres coach Phil Housley, who is dealing with three notable injuries just five days into camp.

Center Sean Malone will miss six weeks after ... Read the full article

Poor season forced Sabres’ Johan Larsson to change

BUFFALO – Instead of talking about Johan Larsson’s rough season, Sabres coach Phil Housley chose to praise the Swedish center for the transformations he has made.

Larsson struggled mightily in 2017-18, enduring his worst NHL campaign. How bad was he? His wretched minus-30 was the fourth-worst rating among NHL forwards. He scored two of his career-low four goals into empty nets.

But Larsson, 26, accepted Housley and general manager Jason Botterill’s challenge to change ... Read the full article

R.I.T. grad Myles Powell grateful for time with Sabres

BUFFALO – Part of the fun of rookie camps can often be watching the variety of youngsters participating.

The Sabres had four first-round picks, including this year’s No. 1 overall selection, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, on their Prospects Challenge roster. They also had seven undrafted players, including center Myles Powell, an R.I.T. product.

That meant prospects from opposite ends of the spectrum could connect to make memorable moments.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Alexander Nylander showcasing maturity, acting like leader

BUFFALO – In a matter of minutes, coach Chris Taylor noticed a different, more mature Alexander Nylander. Instead of taking a backseat, the slick Sabres prospect started his third pro season acting like a leader.

During the first session of rookie camp Thursday, Nylander, 20, showcased his newfound confidence, leading practice drills.

“He’s leading, he’s going to the front of the lines now,” Taylor said inside HarborCenter. “Before he’d go second, third, maybe last ... Read the full article

Excitement accompanies Rasmus Dahlin’s Sabres debut

BUFFALO – Chris Taylor understands the excitement surrounding defenseman Rasmus Dahlin’s first appearance in Blue and Gold. Tonight, more than four months after the Sabres won the right to draft the ultra-talented Swede first overall, he will finally play a game.

“So do you guys want me to play Rasmus for 30 or 40 minutes tomorrow?” Taylor joked Thursday after rookie camp opened inside HarborCenter.

There are, you know, 26 other youngsters on the roster ... Read the full article

Sabres could have special rookie class

BUFFALO – Right away, the rookie’s skill set – the heavy shot, soft hands and slick speed – wowed Sabres winger Kyle Okposo.

To Okposo, a 10-year NHL veteran, the newcomer “seems to have all the tools” to succeed at hockey’s highest level.

“His release is, I mean, he scored a few goals just kind of in informal skates that just kind of make your eyes open, for sure,” Okposo said Wednesday following a ... Read the full article