Samuelsson - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Drake Caggiula to undergo season-ending neck surgery

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Drake Caggiula will undergo season-ending fusion surgery today in Los Angeles to repair a herniated disc in his neck, general manager Kevyn Adams said this morning.

Caggiula, 27, has a six to eight month recovery, according to Adams.

“He’s been seeing some different specialists and gathered all the information and then made the decision a few days ago that he was moving forward with the surgery,” Adams said inside KeyBank Center.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Mark Pysyk making teammates laugh as he hits 500-game milestone

BUFFALO – At first, Sabres winger Kyle Okposo wasn’t sure if Mark Pysyk, his new teammate, might be serious. The defenseman always delivers his quips with a straight face.

“If you just met him, you’d probably think he’s not a very nice person,” Okposo said prior to Tuesday’s game at KeyBank Center. “But he is. He’s just goofing around.”

Okposo has learned the quick-witted Pysyk, who played his 500th NHL game Tuesday, a 6-3 win ... Read the full article

Sabres to make lineup change; Casey Mittelstadt progressing well

BUFFALO – After sitting out Sunday afternoon’s win, Sabres defenseman Mark Pysyk will return tonight against the New York Islanders and play his 500th NHL game.

To make room for Pysyk, Sabres coach Don Granato said Robert Hagg will be scratched. Granato expects Hagg to sit out just one game.

With seven healthy defensemen, Granato has been rotating players in and out. Jacob Bryson watched one game last week before Pysyk was scratched for the ... Read the full article

Dynamic four-goal game shows Sabres’ Jeff Skinner back as elite scorer

In the two seasons following his scintillating 40-goal campaign in 2018-19, it appeared Sabres winger Jeff Skinner would never recapture the scoring prowess he possessed throughout that career year.

Skinner, who enjoyed a dynamic afternoon in Sunday’s 5-3 win, scoring a career-high four goals and adding an assist, looked finished as an elite NHL scorer.

Last season, Skinner scored just seven times in 53 games and was scratched three times. In 2019-20, he recorded 11 ... Read the full article

Sabres recall prospects from Amerks

BUFFALO – The Sabres this morning recalled center Peyton Krebs and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson from the Rochester Americans.

The 21-year-old prospects spent the NHL All-Star break in Rochester, where they each played two games for the Amerks.

The Sabres are set to practice again this afternoon at KeyBank Center, their first time together in a week.... Read the full article

Sabres notes: NHL All-Star nod shows Rasmus Dahlin on right path

BUFFALO – For Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, earning a spot in the NHL All-Star Game is more than an honor. His first selection to the prestigious event is an affirmation.

“It’s very exciting and makes me proud, for sure,” Dahlin told the Times Herald following last Friday’s practice at LECOM Harborcenter. “And then it makes me get more confident. It’s accepting that I’ve done stuff right.”

Over the past two months, Dahlin, 21, has ... Read the full article

Sabres waive goalie Michael Houser, make 10 other roster moves

The Buffalo Sabres this afternoon waived goalie Michael Houser and assigned nine players to the Rochester Americans, including center Peyton Krebs and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson.

The Sabres also reassigned defensemen Oskari Laaksonen and Jimmy Schuldt and forwards Brandon Biro, Brett Murray, JJ Peterka and Arttu Ruotsalainen from the taxi squad to the Amerks.

In addition, the Sabres sent goalie Aaron Dell, who cleared waivers Sunday, to their AHL affiliate. Dell just completed his three-game ... Read the full article

Aaron Dell’s three-game suspension creates big goalie problem for Sabres

The three-game suspension the NHL handed goalie Aaron Dell on Wednesday for his illegal hit that injured winger Drake Batherson has created a major problem for the Buffalo Sabres.

Right now, the Sabres have just two healthy goalies in the organization with NHL contracts: Dell and Michael Houser, who has played just six NHL games in his 10-year career.

Goalies Craig Anderson (upper body), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body), Malcolm Subban (upper body) and Dustin ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Aaron Dell could face suspension for hit on Drake Batherson

In a season in which they’ve lost 29 of their 42 games and dropped six contests by four or more goals, the Buffalo Sabres have offered some pretty dismal performances.

Tuesday’s ugly 5-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre ranks among the worst.

The Sabres looked downright awful after a solid start, allowing three goals in a span of 2 minutes, 55 seconds late in the first period and losing for the ... Read the full article

Halfway through season, Sabres feel progress, excited about future

BUFFALO – When Don Granato took over the Sabres on interim basis 10 months ago, he said he treated the job like it would be his in the future.

So in his first days, Granato thrust some young players who had been getting scratched or skating short minutes down the lineup – centers Casey Mittelstadt and Tage Thompson, for example – into prominent roles.

Granato, of course, knew the Sabres would be trading or losing ... Read the full article