Ottawa Senators - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Dynamic December earns Sabres’ Tage Thompson NHL Third Star honors

A career-best month in which he scored a whopping 13 goals and 22 points in 11 games has earned Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson NHL Third Star honors for December.

Thompson, 25, scored a goal in eight games during the month, including a five-goal, six-point outing on Dec. 7 in Columbus, and registered a point in nine contests.

In that 9-4 road win against the Blue Jackets, Thompson became just the second Sabres player to ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Eric Comrie leaves game injured, will miss time

Buffalo Sabres goalie Eric Comrie suffered a lower-body injury in Wednesday’s 4-1 road loss to the Ottawa Senators and will “be out for a little bit,” coach Don Granato said.

“We obviously have to get a further look on him,” Granato told reporters in Ottawa following the Sabres’ seventh straight loss.

Comrie, 27, was injured when Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin checked Mathieu Joseph into him as the Senators forward charged to the net 9:43 into ... Read the full article

Craig Anderson dynamic in Sabres’ win: ‘Amazing to think he’s 41’

BUFFALO – After making some breakaway saves during the first 40 minutes of Thursday’s 4-1 win, 41-year-old Sabres goalie Craig Anderson said he told his teammates he usually stops 80 percent of those chances.

“So I’ve stopped four, the fifth one’s probably going in, so we should probably clean that up,” Anderson joked following his splendid 35-save performance in the season-opening victory over the Ottawa Senators.

Kidding aside, the NHL’s youngest team showcased maturity as ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Victor Olofsson earns spot on first line after fast finish

BUFFALO – As Victor Olofsson’s goal drought dragged on last season, Sabres coach Don Granato began offering some insight into why the winger suddenly stopped scoring.

Olofsson, Granato explained, was battling a soft issue injury – it turned out to be his wrist – that hampered his shooting, his greatest asset. He would massage the puck, and that extra split-second allowed the goalie to catch up.

“He was frustrated and very down because he couldn’t ... Read the full article

At 41, Sabres’ Craig Anderson receives coveted opening night assignment

BUFFALO – In Craig Anderson, Sabres coach Don Granato sees a passionate veteran goalie who understands the end is nearing.

“Craig is a guy that’s very connected to his love of the game, and he sees, hey, my career’s coming to an end, I’m clear and definitively going to miss this, so I’m going to love what I’m going to miss,” Granato said after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators ... Read the full article

Sabres don’t see Mattias Samuelsson’s contract as risky: ‘He is the antidote’

BUFFALO – The sample size is small, just 54 games over parts of two NHL seasons. Still, it was enough to convince the Sabres that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson deserved a seven-year, $30 million contract extension.

The massive deal, announced Wednesday shortly after the Sabres extended coach Don Granato’s contract, certainly raised some eyebrows.

But the Sabres don’t feel it’s a risky move. In the 6-foot-4, 227-pound Samuelsson, a top-pair defender, they believe they possess a ... Read the full article

Don Granato, Kevyn Adams give Sabres stability: ‘We are going to win’

BUFFALO – The new contract the Sabres awarded coach Don Granato illustrates the much-needed stability they’ve developed under general manager Kevyn Adams.

Over the past six weeks, Adams, Granato, leading scorer Tage Thompson and top-pair defenseman Mattias Samuelsson have all signed extensions.

On Wednesday, the eve of the season opener, the Sabres announced Granato’s “multi-year” contract and Samuelsson’s seven-year, $30 million deal within an hour.... 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

Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt could return from upper-body injury this weekend

BUFFALO – Understandably, Casey Mittelstadt wants to play right now. Having missed 41 of the Sabres’ 48 games this season, the center is likely running out of patience.

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said Mittelstadt wants to return from his upper-body injury tonight against the Ottawa Senators.

“We’re trying to calm him down a little bit,” Adams said this morning inside KeyBank Center.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Peyton Krebs displaying elite playmaking skills: ‘A special talent’

BUFFALO – In the waning minutes of Tuesday’s 6-3 win, Sabres winger Peyton Krebs grabbed the puck in the left circle and skated to the goal line before quickly finding linemate Victor Olofsson in the opposite circle.

Krebs caught the New York Islanders and perhaps even Olofsson, who was wide open, off guard. Olofsson converted the slick pass, putting the Sabres up 4-3.

“Saw him backdoor and just made a quick pass to him,” Krebs ... Read the full article