Peterka - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres rookie Tyson Kozak scores first NHL goal with mother in rink; Buffalo could make lineup changes

BUFFALO – This one couldn’t be taken away from Sabres rookie Tyson Kozak, right? No one interfered with the goalie. No one was offside.

Early in his second NHL game Saturday afternoon, Kozak, 21, zoomed to the net and redirected linemate Beck Malenstyn’s pass behind Utah Hockey Club goalie Karel Vejmelka.

“I had a pretty good feeling it wouldn’t (be disallowed),” said Kozak, whose go-ahead goal in his big league debut Thursday was called ... Read the full article

Sabres implode in third period, suffer stunning loss to Avalanche; Rasmus Dahlin leaves game injured

BUFFALO – The onslaught ended 11:49 into the game, when Sabres winger Beck Malenstyn grabbed linemate Nicolas Aube-Kubel’s pass at the edge the slot, skated in and tucked a backhander past Colorado Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev.

Malenstyn’s goal on the Sabres’ eighth shot extended their lead to 4-0 and put the wonky Georgiev on the bench for the rest of Tuesday’s contest.

Even with 48 minutes remaining against one of the NHL’s heavyweights, it felt ... Read the full article

Sabres’ JJ Peterka struggling to score; Rasmus Dahlin leaves practice early

BUFFALO – With about 80 seconds remaining in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild and the Sabres pressing for the tying goal, winger Alex Tuch created a juicy rebound by tipping center Tage Thompson’s shot on net.

Winger JJ Peterka, who was lurking nearby, quickly pounced on the loose puck between the left circle and crease and narrowly missed tying the game.

“Just jumped there, tried to hit the net and I just missed ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tage Thompson says he’s ready to return from lower-body injury

BUFFALO – In Tage Thompson’s absence, the Sabres have done well, going 4-1-0 and winning all three stops last week in California without their top center.

By the end of the trip, Thompson, who said he’s “ready to go” for tonight’s home game against the Minnesota Wild, told the Sabres he would play if they needed him.

Still, they held him out of Friday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks and Saturday’s 4-2 victory ... Read the full article

Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin scoring goals, piling up points during streaks

Right now, Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin is on an offensive tear, having scored five goals and 14 points in the last 10 games.

In Saturday’s 5-2 road loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the slick defenseman scored Buffalo’s first goal, a power-play tally that extended his goal streak to four games and his point streak to six contests.

Both streaks are the second-longest of the Swede’s eight-year career.... Read the full article

Mature effort helps Sabres rally to beat Blues in OT: ‘Learning the game’

BUFFALO – The competitive balance in the NHL has perhaps never been higher, meaning the difference between the top and bottom teams is slim.

There are no gimme games, as coaches will tell you. Still, this week, two teams – the St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens – limped into KeyBank Center reeling and ripe to be exploited.

The Sabres nearly lost both games.

But forget the Sabres needed to late rally and overtime Thursday ... Read the full article

Injured Sabres Tage Thompson and UPL could face Blues; Mattias Samuelsson out long-term

BUFFALO – Sabres center Tage Thompson and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen both missed Wednesday’s practice and are day to day with their respective injuries. Coach Lindy Ruff said they could play in tonight’s home game against the St. Louis Blues.

That’s the good news for the Sabres. The bad? Ruff said the lower-body injury defenseman Mattias Samuelsson suffered in Monday afternoon’s 7-5 loss to the Montreal Canadiens will sideline him “weeks.” The injury, however, isn’t season-ending.... Read the full article

‘Humbled’ Sabres lose ugly contest to Canadiens, Tage Thompson to injury

BUFFALO – Almost five minutes into Monday afternoon’s ugly 7-5 loss to the Canadiens, Sabres center Tage Thompson grabbed a pass from linemate Alex Tuch inside the Montreal blue line and skated down the left wing.

Thompson cut to the net from the left circle, using one hand to fend off Canadiens star Cole Caufield and the other to guide the puck. When he reached the crease, Thompson, who later left the game injured, scored ... Read the full article

Maturing Sabres extend winning streak by beating Flames in shootout

BUFFALO – In the recent past, the Sabres might’ve lost a game like Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 shootout win. They blew an early two-goal lead as the Calgary Flames roared back. They had to kill a penalty just to survive overtime.

“I’ve used the phrase, ‘You’ve got to be comfortable being uncomfortable,’” coach Lindy Ruff said following the Sabres’ third consecutive victory. “The game got uncomfortable, and you have to trust how you’re playing.”

That trust ... Read the full article

Sabres raise standard, defeat Senators; Henri Jokiharju, Mattias Samuelsson scratched

BUFFALO – Hours before the Sabres ended their three-game losing streak Tuesday by shellacking the Ottawa Senators 5-1, coach Lindy Ruff demanded more of his goalies, saying his team needed bigger saves at critical times.

Ruff wasn’t pinning the Sabres’ recent struggles on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi. In the same breath, said he needed his scorers to finish. He has been asking more of everyone as he tries to raise the Sabres’ standard.

But ... Read the full article