Rochester Americans | Buffalo Hockey Beat

Mark Jankowski grateful for time with Amerks, excited to join Sabres

BUFFALO – After spending nearly four straight seasons in the NHL, Sabres center Mark Jankowski found limited opportunities as a free agent during the summer. Eventually, he settled for an invitation to the New Jersey Devils’ training camp.

After the tryout expired and the Devils passed on signing him, a chance to join the Rochester Americans materialized.

Jankowski said he and the Amerks’ coaching staff talked a lot. He liked what he heard and felt ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Dustin Tokarski bounces back with two strong outings

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Don Granato needed to wait to make a decision. If goalie Dustin Tokarski experienced a heavy workload Friday, then he likely couldn’t have utilized him back-to-back nights.

But Tokarski faced just 11 shots over the final 40 minutes of the Sabres’ 4-1 home win. So Granato felt comfortable starting him again Saturday in Detroit.

“The workload late in that game was not too extensive for Dustin, and that factored in,” ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Mark Jankowski; Arttu Ruotsalainen sent to Amerks

The Buffalo Sabres added center depth today, signing Mark Jankowski, who had been playing on an AHL deal with the Rochester Americans, to a one-year, $750,000 contract.

The Sabres also sent forward Arttu Ruotsalainen, a healthy scratch four of the last five games, to the Amerks.

Jankowski, 27, is on the NHL roster, so he could make his Sabres debut in Monday’s home game against the Seattle Kraken at KeyBank Center.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Peyton Krebs changes positions, scores first goal for Amerks

Peyton Krebs likely won’t play left wing for very long. The Buffalo Sabres still envision the prospect as a center in the future.

But for the time being, Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert wants to keep Krebs, 20, in the spot he moved him last Friday.

“I’ll play any position,” Krebs told the Times Herald on Tuesday.

When Appert shifted Krebs beside center Mark Jankowski late in the Amerks’ 5-4 shootout win over the Lehigh ... Read the full article

Sabres concerned about goalie Craig Anderson’s lingering injury

BUFFALO – After Craig Anderson suffered an upper-body injury Nov. 2, the Sabres said he was day to day. But the veteran goalie, whose absence has become glaring as the rebuilding team keeps struggling, is still sidelined.

“Because of our initial report, based on where we’re at, it is a concern,” Sabres coach Don Granato said on a Zoom call this morning. “Obviously, we didn’t feel he would be out this long and it has ... Read the full article

Could Sabres look to Amerks goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for help?

BUFFALO – Given the Sabres’ recent goaltending woes, the rebuilding team could be forced to award prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen a look soon.

Maybe Luukkonen would stay for just a game or two. Or perhaps he might receive regular action while No. 1 goalie Craig Anderson, 40, recovers from his upper-body injury.

The Sabres, as evidenced by the ugly 2-9-1 streak they carry into tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens at KeyBank Center, need help ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tage Thompson scores twice in loss: ‘Starting to come together’

BUFFALO – At times over three tumultuous seasons, it felt like Tage Thompson would never reach this point, at least with the Sabres.

Right now, Thompson, 24, is their No. 1 center and leading goal scorer and point producer. After scoring twice in Monday’s 7-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, he has already recorded eight goals and 13 points in 18 games, equaling last season’s career-high goal total in 20 fewer outings.

The 6-foot-7 ... Read the full article

After slow start, Sabres goalie Aaron Dell beginning to find groove

BUFFALO – Since the start of last season, Sabres goalie Aaron Dell has played just 13 games, including nine in the NHL. The veteran has often struggled in his limited action, failing to recapture what made him one of the league’s top backups a few years ago.

After a shaky preseason in which he quickly lost the No. 2 job, Dell allowed a fluky goal minutes into his NHL season debut last Saturday, losing sight ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Jack Quinn scores highlight-reel shootout goal for Amerks

ROCHESTER – Sabres prospect Jack Quinn could’ve waited another second or two to put the finishing touches on his shootout goal.

Quinn’s deft hands and feet put goalie Felix Sandstrom flat on his stomach, giving him the right side of the net and an inordinate amount of time to shoot the puck. So the Americans winger calmly completed his highlight-reel goal Friday.

“He’s sliding to the left and I know I’m going back to the ... Read the full article

Don Granato’s accessibility to Sabres players ‘a huge asset’

BUFFALO – In his early days behind the bench in junior hockey and in the ECHL, Sabres coach Don Granato was one-man show. He had no assistants to help him.

“So I had to be close to players,” Granato said prior to Thursday’s 5-0 loss to the Calgary Flames at KeyBank Center. “I had to get a feel for the team and a beat on the team.”

Right away, Granato learned he must separate the ... Read the full article