Rochester Americans - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Video: Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius scores two nifty goals for Rochester

Buffalo Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius arrived in North America a polished youngster, having spent two seasons playing pro hockey against men in his native Finland.

It felt like the rookie center, the 14th overall pick this year, could acclimate quickly to a different brand of hockey.

Well, Helenius, 18, is starting to heat up. He scored one goal in each of the Rochester Americans’ road victories this weekend. He’s up to three goals and four ... Read the full article

Sabres hope shifting struggling Dylan Cozens to wing can ignite him

BUFFALO – History says Dylan Cozens’ position change will be temporary. Shifting him from center to right wing is a slump-busting move by Sabres coach Lindy Ruff.

Centers, of course, are always at a premium and Cozens, 23, has been entrenched as the Sabres’ second-line pivot for years. It’s just that 10 games into the season, having scored zero goals, he’s in a rut.

Ruff needs to ignite the Yukon native, so in Thursday’s ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Tyson Kozak off to hot start with Rochester Amerks; Noah Ostlund scores first goal

ROCHESTER – The most impressive part of Buffalo Sabres prospect Tyson Kozak’s performance Wednesday wasn’t the goal he scored by driving to the net and deftly backhanding a rebound in.

No, while Kozak displayed tenacity and skill in scoring his team-leading third goal, his play later in the Americans’ 6-1 win was more notable.

With the Amerks comfortably up 5-0, he raced into his own zone to thwart a breakaway attempt by the Cleveland Monsters.... Read the full article

Video: Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius scores first goal for Rochester

In Friday’s second period, Rochester Americans center Konsta Helenius grabbed a pass from linemate Viktor Neuchev in the slot, skated to the bottom of the right circle and beat goalie Artur Akhtyamov with an odd-angle shot.

The first goal and point of the Finn’s three-game AHL career was pretty nifty.... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Devon Levi off to hot start in retro gear, pushing UPL for games

BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Devon Levi has a strong appreciation for hockey history and the netminders he watched growing up and who played decades before him.

So Levi, 22, always wanted to sport a retro look that resembles the leather equipment goalies wore until the early 1990s.

During a trip to CCM headquarters in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, a borough of Montreal about 20 minutes from his offseason home, Levi spotted a pair of brown demo pads ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius looks sharp late in Rochester debut

ROCHESTER – In the opening minutes of his AHL debut, Konsta Helenius looked a bit overwhelmed, turning the puck over twice in his own zone during a power play. During a man advantage later in the first period, the Buffalo Sabres prospect fell down at the point, creating a breakaway for the Belleville Senators.

But as Friday’s game progressed, Helenius, 18, settled in, displaying some of the talent that made him the 14th overall pick... Read the full article

Three years after trade, Sabres’ Peyton Krebs trying to reinvent himself

BUFFALO – During practices, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff has noticed Peyton Krebs possesses the skill to make what he called “special plays.” Of course, having registered 20 goals and 66 points in his career, the center only occasionally showcases that talent in games.

In Krebs, 23, Ruff sees a player trying to figure things out. When the Vegas Golden Knights drafted him 17th overall in 2019 and the Sabres acquired him almost three years ago ... Read the full article

With JJ Peterka injured, Sabres rookie Jiri Kulich earns another chance

BUFFALO – Instead of judging Sabres rookie Jiri Kulich on the 14 minutes he nervously skated Saturday in Czechia, his home country, coach Lindy Ruff thinks back to the youngster’s recent exploits in the Prospect Challenge tournament.

“He’s looking at this (as it’s) my first real shot, there’s some nerves,” Ruff said of the forward’s second NHL game. “What I saw in Prague wasn’t the real Kulich. What we saw in that prospect camp showed ... Read the full article

Sabres send two players to Rochester, set 23-man roster

The Buffalo Sabres on Monday finalized their 23-man regular-season roster by loaning defenseman Kale Clague and winger Lukas Rousek to the Rochester Americans after they cleared waivers, and placing winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel on injured reserve.

Right now, the Sabres have 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies. For the time being at least, rookie forward Jiri Kulich, who played his second NHL game Saturday, has a spot.... Read the full article

Ducks claim goalie James Reimer off waivers from Sabres

James Reimer won’t be going to the Rochester Americans. The Anaheim Ducks on Monday claimed the veteran goalie off waivers from the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres signed Reimer to a one-year, one-way contract worth $1 million – a significant salary for a player they hoped to assign to the minors – to provide insurance. In Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, 25, and Devon Levi, 22, the Sabres have one of the league’s youngest goalie tandems.

Reimer, 36, served ... Read the full article