Kyle Okposo scored Buffalo’s second goal Saturday afternoon. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu

Sabres play best game in weeks, still lose 17th straight

The Buffalo Sabres performed much better in their 17th consecutive loss than they had in the previous 16.

They took an early lead Saturday afternoon – winger Sam Reinhart scored their first power-play goal in 16 games just 2:01 into the game – and later snatched it back after the Boston Bruins tied it.

Having been shut out seven times this season, simply scoring a goal or two can be measured as progress. That’s the ... Read the full article

Taylor Hall signed a one-year, $8 million contract with Buffalo. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu

Sabres lose with Kevyn Adams as coach; Taylor Hall willing to be traded

Nothing at this point, 32 games into perhaps the most miserable season in the franchise’s 51-year history, would surprise the Buffalo Sabres.

So when they learned interim coach Don Granato and assistant Matt Ellis had entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol just hours before Thursday’s game, it wasn’t a big deal.

“In a season of unfortunate and terrible events, we’re just ready for it,” winger Taylor Hall said on a Zoom call following the Sabres’ 4-0 ... Read the full article

Dylan Cozens has quickly become Buffalo’s No. 1 center. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu

Rookie Dylan Cozens earning keep as Sabres’ No. 1 center

For now, rookie Dylan Cozens is the Buffalo Sabres’ No. 1 center. With captain Jack Eichel injured and veteran Eric Staal mired in a 22-game goal drought, the hapless team sorely needs a productive presence in the middle.

The Sabres shifted Cozens, 20, to right wing earlier this season so he could be eased into the NHL. But before he played 20 games, they moved him back to his natural position.

Cozens, the seventh ... Read the full article

Rasmus Ristolainen doesn’t think the Sabres play smart hockey. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu

Sabres fall to Penguins, lose 15th straight: ‘We’re not working smart’

The hapless Buffalo Sabres kept hanging around Wednesday, trailing by one goal late in the second period despite being outshot by nearly a two-to-one margin.

No one, of course, expected the Sabres would win. But right now, they’re so bad a one-goal deficit is noteworthy.

That narrow margin did not last. The Pittsburgh Penguins pulled ahead late in the second period, capitalizing on two miscues from struggling winger Taylor Hall to take a commanding lead ... Read the full article

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has played eight games with Rochester this season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans

Sabres goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen excited for first taste of NHL

If injured Buffalo Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark keeps progressing, he could play this week, perhaps as soon as tonight. So Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s first taste of the NHL might be brief.

Still, spending just a day or two with the Sabres, even on the taxi squad as their third goalie, should be a significant step for Luukkonen’s development.

“The more time a prospect can get around (the NHL), the easier it becomes for them to associate, ... Read the full article

Victor Olofsson has scored just one goal in the last 14 games. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu

Sabres confident Victor Olofsson will overcome struggles: ‘He’ll get there’

Interim Sabres coach Don Granato keeps learning how badly struggling winger Victor Olofsson wants to break out of his season-long funk.

Whether it’s the Swede’s behavior as he prepares for practice or his attentiveness during a conversation or a meeting, Granato said he sees a player “searching for the answer, searching for the direction within himself.”

“Which is great,” Granato said on a Zoom call Tuesday. “And he’ll get there, there’s no doubt in my ... Read the full article

Cody Eakin has scored just one goal this season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu

Sabres to make lineup changes, scratch Cody Eakin

BUFFALO – Sabres center Cody Eakin, who has scored just one goal in 26 games this season, an empty-netter, will be a healthy scratch tonight against the Washington Capitals.

Rasmus Asplund, who hasn’t played since Feb. 25, will replace Eakin between Tobias Rieder and Kyle Okposo.

Eakin’s penalty-killing prowess has helped the Sabres improve from 30th last season to fifth this year. His 57.5 faceoff percentage ranks first among Sabres who have taken at ... Read the full article

The Sabres signed Riley Sheahan to a one-year contract. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu

Injuries to Dylan Cozens, Jack Eichel force Sabres to promote Riley Sheahan

BUFFALO – The Sabres’ center depth has become so thin that Riley Sheahan, a fourth-line winger most of the season, centered the top line in Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Sheahan, 29, played center almost exclusively before joining the Sabres this season. When he pivoted the No. 1 trio on short notice after captain Jack Eichel was a late scratch Feb. 25, he scored just minutes into the game.

So Sheahan, the ... Read the full article

Jacob Bryson has quickly become one of Buffalo’s standouts. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu

Sabres rookie Jacob Bryson quickly emerging as special talent

BUFFALO – In the second period of Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout loss, Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson grabbed the puck along the left wall, skated behind his net and adroitly fed winger Victor Olofsson an outlet pass from the right circle.

A few seconds later, Bryson swooped into the Philadelphia Flyers zone, grabbed center Eric Staal’s pass high in the slot and backhanded the puck to Olofsson as he charged to the net.

While Olofsson did not ... Read the full article

Dylan Cozens has looked comfortable in the NHL. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu

Fast development earns Sabres’ Dylan Cozens promotion to No. 1 center

For almost two months, the Buffalo Sabres eased rookie Dylan Cozens into the NHL by playing him at right wing instead of center, his natural position.

Cozens, 20, kept seizing his opportunities, moving up the lineup and becoming one coach Ralph Krueger’s most trusted forwards just weeks into his career.

So when the upper-body injury captain Jack Eichel suffered Sunday afternoon kept him from playing Tuesday, instead of promoting a veteran, Krueger tabbed Cozens to ... Read the full article