Ruff - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Jason Zucker thrilled to see Sabres on hot streak, eyes return from injuries

BUFFALO – Since veteran winger Jason Zucker suffered a lower-body injury and left the lineup, the Sabres are 7-0-0 without the services of their oldest and most experienced player entering tonight’s contest against the Boston Bruins.

“They got rid of the dead weight, you know?” Zucker quipped this morning in KeyBank Center after skating with his teammates for the first time since getting injured Dec. 8.

Then Zucker, 33, joked “they might need me to ... Read the full article

Sabres star Rasmus Dahlin won’t play versus Bruins; Buffalo makes recall

BUFFALO – Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin returned to Sweden over the Christmas break to be with his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, and will miss tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins, coach Lindy Ruff said.

“He’s just attending to his fiancée in Sweden, should be back shortly,” Ruff said this morning in KeyBank Center.

Dahlin missed three games in November to visit Matovac, who has been rehabbing after experiencing major heart failure and undergoing a heart transplant ... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Noah Ostlund scoring big goals, earning keep after latest recall

BUFFALO – Sabres rookie Noah Ostlund was within earshot across the visiting dressing room in the Canadian Tire Centre, waiting to be interviewed after scoring again in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win, so winger Alex Tuch joked he shouldn’t heap too much praise on his linemate.

“I don’t want to give him too many props,” Tuch said in Ottawa after assisting on Ostlund’s third goal in five games since the Sabres recalled him for the third ... Read the full article

Bowen Byram dynamic in OT victory as Sabres extend streak to seven, move closer to playoff spot

OTTAWA – Coach Lindy Ruff hardly wanted to criticize defensemen Bowen Byram, the best player on the ice in the Sabres’ 3-2 overtime victory that extended their win streak to seven games and moved them within two points of a playoff spot.

Byram performed dynamically throughout the night in the Canadian Tire Centre, scoring twice and assisting on Buffalo’s other goal.

But when he released the puck from the top of the right circle – ... Read the full article

Once given up for dead, win streak has vaulted Sabres into thick of playoff race

OTTAWA – Two weeks ago, having just lost to the feeble Calgary Flames for the second time in three weeks, the Buffalo Sabres appeared to be barreling toward another postseason DNQ.

Their third consecutive defeat as they began a six-game road trip kept them mired in last place in the Eastern Conference, eight points out of the second wild card spot.

At that point, the Sabres had just two road wins all season, including zero ... Read the full article

Alex Lyon winning games, emerging as Sabres’ No. 1 goalie

BUFFALO – When Sabres goalie Alex Lyon left Yale University following his junior season to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers as an undrafted free agent, he thought riches and enshrinement in hockey’s hallowed hall would be in his future.

“When I first came out of college, I thought I was going to make tens of millions of dollars,” he said following Friday’s practice in KeyBank Center. “I was going to be a Hockey Hall of ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tyson Kozak could play against Islanders; Conor Timmins ‘steady’ D before breaking leg

BUFFALO – Sabres center Tyson Kozak, who left Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers with an upper-body injury, is questionable for this afternoon’s home game against the New York Islanders, coach Lindy Ruff said.

Ruff said Kozak, who did not practice Friday, will skate early today before the Sabres decide if he can play.

If Kozak, 22, can’t go, forward Josh Dunne will likely move into the lineup.

Update: Kozak is scratched. Dunne is ... Read the full article

Sabres win fourth straight, rally to beat Flyers in Jarmo Kekalainen’s first game as GM; Conor Timmins breaks leg

BUFFALO – From his seat in the press box high above the KeyBank Center ice, Jarmo Kekalainen couldn’t have liked what he saw in the opening 30 or so minutes of his first game as Sabres general manager.

Early in Thursday’s 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, the Sabres looked out of sync and sluggish, falling behind 2-1 in the second period.

But by late in that period, as they found their legs, the Sabres ... Read the full article

After trade, injuries, Michael Kesselring ready to make impact for Sabres

BUFFALO – After hurrying back from a knee injury, Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring said the ankle sprain he suffered just nine games into his season offered him a chance to “reset a little.”

Not that Kesselring, the Sabres’ biggest offseason acquisition, wanted to miss more time. But when he went down again Nov. 15, he said he was still battling his first injury a bit and “putting a lot of pressure” on himself.

“I didn’t ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Colten Ellis healthy; Conor Timmins to be game-time decision

BUFFALO – The Sabres have three healthy goalies again.

Rookie Colten Ellis rejoined his teammates for this morning’s pregame skate after clearing concussion protocol.

“He’s back at it,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said this morning in KeyBank Center. “So he’ll get some practices in him and make sure he feels good.”

Ellis, 25, left the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime win Dec. 9 in Edmonton in the first period when Oilers forward David Tomasek drove to the ... Read the full article