Okposo - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Kyle Okposo likely out tonight; Brandon Biro to make NHL debut

Buffalo Sabres winger Kyle Okposo missed this morning’s pregame skate in Montreal because of illness and likely won’t play tonight against the Canadiens, coach Don Granato said.

“I don’t expect him for tonight but he’s still a possibility,” Granato said on a Zoom call from the Bell Centre.

With Okposo probably out and winger Victor Olofsson (illness) also sidelined, Granato said he expects forward Brandon Biro to make his NHL debut tonight.

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Weary Sabres miss injured Rasmus Dahlin, implode against Blue Jackets

The Buffalo Sabres weathered the Columbus Blue Jackets’ early onslaught Sunday, escaping the opening 15 minutes with a 1-0 deficit despite being outshot 16-1.

Then defenseman Mark Pysyk scored on the Sabres’ second shot on goal, igniting his weary teammates. Center Tage Thompson followed at 17:14, scoring his 20th goal.

That lead lasted 10 seconds.

Boone Jenner tied it, and Dean Kukan’s second goal of the night – he entered the game with one all ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tage Thompson scores hat trick in dominant performance against Avs

BUFFALO – Sabres center Tage Thompson’s penchant for trying to score the so-called perfect goal has added more intrigue to his breakout season.

What might happen, say, if Thompson starts utilizing his quick release more frequently?

“When he realizes not to worry about scoring the perfect goal one inch under the bar, he’ll score double his goals,” Granato said after Thompson recorded his first NHL hat trick in Saturday afternoon’s 5-3 loss. “Just score, just ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt set to return from injury

BUFFALO – Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt will return from his upper-body injury Saturday afternoon against the Colorado Avalanche, coach Don Granato said this afternoon.

Mittelstadt, out the last five games, has been practicing and doing extra work following the sessions with assistant coach Matt Ellis.

“He survived Matt Ellis’ workouts and physical battles,” Granato joked following today’s practice at LECOM Harborcenter. “No, but he looks good. He recovered well from a couple of really difficult ... Read the full article

Sabres lay egg in loss to Senators: ‘Not enough work ethic’

BUFFALO –Fresh off consecutive wins for the first time in two months, the Sabres apparently started feeling a little too good about themselves.

Never mind they were only their 15th and 16th victories this season. Never mind the Sabres haven’t had even a three-game winning streak in four months.

“We’ve come in here a lot, we talk about young this, young that,” coach Don Granato said following Thursday’s 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. “This ... Read the full article

Victor Olofsson ends slump, scores two goals in Sabres’ win: ‘That was huge’

BUFFALO – As Sabres winger Victor Olofsson’s marathon goal drought neared the three-and-a-half month mark, he started watching video to remind himself that, hey, sometimes a slump isn’t quite as bad as it feels.

In the games before he scored the late go-ahead goal in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the New York Islanders, Olofsson began feeling better about his play. The clips illustrated the Swede has excelled in some areas despite his goal-scoring woes.

“That ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rasmus Asplund confident he can start scoring again

BUFFALO – Rasmus Asplund would catch himself falling into old habits. Before the Sabres winger went to sleep or when he woke up, the previous game might be weighing on him.

Asplund, 24, has worked to develop the mental side of his game. Following his arrival in the NHL two years ago, he became so tired mentally he learned exercises to help reset his mind. His new approach worked, and last season he would put ... Read the full article

Sabres blow late lead to Blue Jackets, lose in OT: ‘We started changing’

BUFFALO – The Sabres’ blueprint for success is no secret. For about 20 minutes against the Columbus Blue Jackets, they played confidently and loosely, opening up what felt like a commanding two-goal lead early in the third period.

“We got that 3-1 lead, we had a couple of good shifts afterward and then we started changing the way we were playing,” Sabres winger Alex Tuch said following Thursday’s 4-3 loss, a game Jakub Voracek clinched ... Read the full article

Sabres battle to end of crazy weekend; Casey Mittelstadt leaves loss to Avs

Considering the chaos the Buffalo Sabres endured over a wild 36 hours, the end result, a weekend split capped by Sunday’s 4-1 road loss to the Colorado Avalanche, wasn’t too bad.

The Sabres, despite playing without center Tage Thompson and losing center Casey Mittelstadt early in Sunday’s contest, hung tough against the heavyweight Avalanche.

At one point late Sunday, when winger Victor Olofsson briefly left the game after taking a high stick, the Sabres had ... Read the full article

Craig Anderson backstops Sabres past Coyotes to cap ‘chaotic day’

By 7 p.m. Saturday, the chaos the Buffalo Sabres had experienced earlier in the day became an afterthought. They could forget about COVID-19 and finally play their game.

As Sabres goalie Craig Anderson, 40, settled into his crease for the first time in 88 days following the national anthem, the energy he felt inside the rink brought back a special feeling.

“That’s kind of the moment where you’re like, ‘All right, this is still enjoyable, ... Read the full article