WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Late-Season Edition
Mark Pysyk made his NHL debut almost nine years ago. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – At first, Sabres winger Kyle Okposo wasn’t sure if Mark Pysyk, his new teammate, might be serious. The defenseman always delivers his quips with a straight face.
“If you just met him, you’d probably think he’s not a very nice person,” Okposo said prior to Tuesday’s game at KeyBank Center. “But he is. He’s just goofing around.”
Okposo has learned the quick-witted Pysyk, who played his 500th NHL game Tuesday, a 6-3 win ... Read the full article
Robert Hagg will sit out tonight’s game. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – After sitting out Sunday afternoon’s win, Sabres defenseman Mark Pysyk will return tonight against the New York Islanders and play his 500th NHL game.
To make room for Pysyk, Sabres coach Don Granato said Robert Hagg will be scratched. Granato expects Hagg to sit out just one game.
With seven healthy defensemen, Granato has been rotating players in and out. Jacob Bryson watched one game last week before Pysyk was scratched for the ... Read the full article
Tage Thompson has already scored a career-high 15 goals. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The idea of Sabres forwards Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson someday comprising two-thirds of one of the NHL’s hottest lines would’ve seemed ludicrous a year ago.
Twelve months ago, Skinner was about to become a healthy scratch as his career-worst season hit its nadir. Meanwhile, Thompson was moving in and out of the lineup and skating short minutes as a winger when he managed to play.
Today, Skinner, having scored four times in ... Read the full article
Ethan Prow played in Germany last season before joining Buffalo’s organization. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Ethan Prow spent much of his 20s toiling in the AHL, posting gaudy numbers and never earning even a cup of coffee in the NHL.
In 2018-19, Prow morphed into one of the league’s elite offensive defensemen, registering 18 goals and 50 points. The next year, after changing organizations, he recorded nine goals and 32 points during a shortened campaign.
A call to the big leagues never materialized, and last season, ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo scored Buffalo’s only goal Thursday. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
It was a recipe for disaster Thursday. The Buffalo Sabres played the second game of a back-to-back missing a whopping 11 players because of injury or illness.
Not surprisingly, the Sabres, who had four players make their debut a night earlier, struggled early and fell 4-1 to the New York Islanders.
In COVID times, of course, teams can find themselves down several players in a day or two.
The Sabres have built up some nice ... Read the full article
Ryan MacInnis has played 26 NHL games. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres this morning reassigned defenseman Oskari Laaksonen and forwards Ryan MacInnis and Brandon Biro to the taxi squad.
All three players have spent this season with the Rochester Americans.
The Sabres, who begin a two-game road trip tonight against the New York Islanders, need reinforcements. Right now, they have six players in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. They’ve recalled five players to the active roster this week.
Anthony Beauvillier and the New York Islanders won’t be visiting Buffalo on Monday. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Monday’s Buffalo Sabres game against the New York Islanders at KeyBank Center has been postponed.
The NHL tonight pushed back its resumption of play one day so it could analyze testing data and determine teams’ readiness to compete coming out a four-day Christmas/COVID-19 break. The league wants to resume games Tuesday.
The Sabres’ next scheduled contest is Wednesday at home against the New Jersey Devils.
Johnny Boychuk retired last year. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Hours after trading center Jack Eichel today, the Buffalo Sabres swung a minor deal to help them stay above the salary floor, acquiring retired defenseman Johnny Boychuk from the New York Islanders in exchange for future considerations.
Boychuk, who was forced to stop playing last year because of a left eye injury, carries a $6 million cap hit.
The Sabres never dropped below the NHL’s $60.2 million floor after dishing Eichel and his $10 million ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel spent six seasons in Buffalo. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
The Jack Eichel saga ended this morning after nearly six months, with the Buffalo Sabres trading their disgruntled former captain to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for two players and two picks.
The Sabres received forwards Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch, a first-round pick in 2022 and a second-round pick in 2023 for the dynamic center. They also sent the Golden Knights a third-round pick in 2023. The first-rounder is top-10 protected.
The ... Read the full article
Michael Houser stops a shot in Tuesday’s win. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Hours before Michael Houser’s second NHL start, interim Sabres coach Don Granato said he wasn’t concerned about his goalie becoming fatigued.
Coaches, of course, rarely use the same goalie on back-to-back nights. The position is simply too taxing.
But Granato, having lost his other goalies, needed Houser again Tuesday, a night after his big league debut. It was also his first game at any level in nearly 14 months.
Granato was confident ... Read the full article