WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Victor Olofsson (68) tries to get through some St. Louis players Dec. 10. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Victor Olofsson, who led all first-year players with six goals and 14 points in 14 games in December, has earned NHL Rookie of the Month honors for the second time this season, the league announced today.
Olofsson, 24, was also named the top rookie for October.
The Swede quickly morphed into a top Calder Trophy candidate this season, scoring six goals in the first seven games. He also set an ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel has played at an MVP level this season. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres captain Jack Eichel’s selection to the NHL All-Star Game, of course, was a no-brainer.
Eichel’s fifth NHL season has quickly become his best. Right now, he ranks among the game’s elite stars.
The slick center has already scored 24 goals, just four off his career high, and 52 points in 39 games. He’s tied for third in NHL goal scoring and is seventh in points entering tonight’s game against the Tampa ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner could be sidelined around a month. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Forget that Jeff Skinner hadn’t scored in 11 games before suffering an upper-body injury Friday. Forget that after enjoying his first 40-goal campaign, the Sabres winger has only produced 11 goals in 39 contests this season.
Skinner, who will be sidelined three to four weeks, the Sabres announced Saturday, can be a lethal scorer. In his last few outings, he channeled his 2018-19 form, showcasing the tenacious style that helped make him ... Read the full article
Victor Olofsson has been piling up points. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – With the Sabres up one goal late Saturday afternoon, winger Victor Olofsson grabbed a pass at his own blue line, skated through the neutral zone and backhanded the puck into an empty net.
After the Los Angeles Kings scored in the final minute, Olofsson’s 16th goal this season became the winner in the Sabres’ 3-2 victory. It was also his 24th point in the last 22 games entering tonight’s road contest against ... Read the full article
Rasmus Ristolainen has scored all three of his goals around the net this season. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Having scored all three of his goals this season at the net, Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen feels very comfortable around that area these days.
“I feel that’s my office now, the blue paint,” Ristolainen joked after scoring in Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings. “It’s the only place I can score right now, so I’ve got to go there a couple times a game, maybe get a bounce like today.”... Read the full article
Marcus Johansson is frustrated by his play. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Even during the opening weeks of the season, as Marcus Johansson scored goals and solidified himself as the Sabres’ No. 2 center, his play irked him.
“I didn’t feel like myself with the puck and stuff like that,” said Johansson, who scored four goals and seven points in the first nine games. “I mean, sometimes you still get points and the team wins. You kind of don’t think about it as much.”
These ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel missed Thursday’s game. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres captain Jack Eichel said he has been dealing with the upper-body injury that sidelined him for Thursday’s ugly 6-1 road loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
“It’s not something that came out of nowhere,” Eichel said after practicing this afternoon inside KeyBank Center.
Eichel, who’s day-to-day, according to coach Ralph Krueger, has dealt with the injury well. The slick center carried a 17-game point streak into Thursday’s game, the second-longest in franchise history.... Read the full article
Jack Eichel has been on a tear. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
Jack Eichel’s 17-game point streak ended tonight because an upper-body injury forced him to miss the Buffalo Sabres’ road contest against the Philadelphia Flyers.
After skating in the pregame warm-up, the Sabres announced their captain would miss his first game this season.
Eichel, 23, has been the NHL’s hottest scorer, compiling 16 goals and 31 points during the league’s longest point streak this season. The center was one game short of tying the franchise-record point ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel has been piling up points. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – If you ask Sabres captain Jack Eichel about his recent scoring exploits, he usually starts talking about his linemates or the rest of the team.
Eichel, 23, doesn’t want his success to overshadow the Sabres, so the ultra-talented center will heap praise on his wingers, Victor Olofsson and Sam Reinhart, and others.
“It’s tough to pinpoint one thing,” Eichel responded when asked how he has elevated his game over the last month. “The ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel scored his 24th goal Tuesday. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
TORONTO – It took more than 40 minutes, but captain Jack Eichel ignited the Buffalo Sabres again Tuesday, helping them roar back late in their 5-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.
After falling behind 3-0, Eichel assisted on defenseman Rasmus Dahlin’s power-play goal 1:29 into the third period, extending his point streak to 17 games.
Then after the Leafs restored their three-goal lead, Eichel scored at 6:30, his 24th goal in only 35 games this ... Read the full article
