Thompson - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Victor Olofsson believes he will start scoring: ‘Knocking on the door’

BUFFALO – Since Sabres winger Victor Olofsson returned from a soft tissue injury Nov. 21, he has recorded zero goals in 17 games, a career-long drought. The Swede hasn’t scored since Oct. 31, when he registered his fifth goal in the season’s eighth contest.

Given his power-play scoring prowess, Olofsson wasn’t prone to long slumps over his first two NHL seasons. His previous career-long goalless stretch was just eight games.

So what’s going on? How ... Read the full article

Alex Tuch’s debut sign of brighter times ahead for Sabres

BUFFALO – The result doesn’t matter. That the undermanned Sabres lost 4-3, even to the reeling New Jersey Devils, wasn’t surprising. The rebuilding team has six players in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and played its first game in 12 days.

Wednesday was about the debuts of Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka and what their presence represents for the Sabres’ future.

After a decade of futility, the Sabres finally seem to be adding the right ... Read the full article

COVID-19 keeps hitting Sabres; Ethan Prow could make NHL debut

BUFFALO – Make that four. In addition to forwards Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch, it appears another player, defenseman Ethan Prow, will be making his Sabres debut tonight.

Like Peterka, Prow, 29, has never played in the NHL. Ironically, Peterka and Prow were teammates last season with Red Bull Munich, a Deutsche Eishockey Liga team.

The Sabres this morning recalled Prow to the taxi squad and Casey Fitzgerald to the active roster because ... Read the full article

Debuts of Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch offer Sabres some hope

BUFFALO – In the Sabres’ recent history, games as significant as tonight’s can be counted on one hand. How often have three highly regarded young players – in this case, forwards Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch – all made their debuts together?

Their presence illustrates that after a decade of futility, maybe – just maybe – a franchise known for dysfunction is starting to get things rights.

In less than a year, the ... Read the full article

Parents of Sabres’ Casey Fitzgerald nervous watching son fight

For 22 anxious seconds Friday, Kerry Fitzgerald watched her son, Casey, a Buffalo Sabres defenseman, trade punches with Sam Lafferty.

Throughout the day, Kerry acknowledged she was a “nervous wreck” waiting for Casey, 24, to make his NHL debut at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. But after the puck dropped against the Penguins, she said it felt like watching any hockey game.

Then about five minutes into the second period, Casey took umbrage with ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tage Thompson receives ‘good news’ after undergoing MRI

General manager Kevyn Adams said center Tage Thompson, the Buffalo Sabres’ leading goal scorer this season, received “good news” after undergoing an MRI.

“Which we were thankful to hear,” Adams said on a Zoom call Tuesday.

Thompson, 24, missed Sunday’s practice with what Sabres coach Don Granato called “soreness.”

If Monday’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets hadn’t been postponed because of COVID-19 concerns, Adams said Thompson would’ve been a game-time decision. The Sabres’ ... Read the full article

Alex Tuch to fulfill dream by playing for Sabres: ‘Excited as anybody I’ve seen’

BUFFALO – What makes winger Alex Tuch’s passion for the Sabres so unique is that he possessed it long before the team acquired him Nov. 4.

Tuch, 25, grew up in Baldwinsville, about 150 miles from KeyBank Center, rooting for his beloved Sabres. He attended games, owned jerseys and reveled in their success.

So from the get-go, Tuch, who’s scheduled to make his Sabres debut tonight, fit right in. He feels the same excitement as ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Malcolm Subban dazzles in OT loss; Casey Fitzgerald strong in debut

PITTSBURGH – Having spent his entire NHL career as a backup, Sabres goalie Malcolm Subban is conditioned for busy stretches like he experienced early in Friday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Penguins.

Playing second fiddle means often receiving the worst assignments. On Friday, the Sabres completed a back-to-back and closed a dizzying stretch of three road games in four nights. After beating the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout Thursday, they arrived in Pittsburgh at ... Read the full article

Sabres showcase growing confidence, maturity, beat Wild in shootout

In the not-so-recent past, the Buffalo Sabres might’ve lost a game like Thursday’s 3-2 shootout win over the first-place Minnesota Wild.

The Sabres trailed 2-1 after two periods because Kirill Kaprizov scored a late, potentially deflating goal. They outshot the Wild 21-6 in the first yet ended the period down 1-0. And then there was the noisy crowd of 18,022 fans inside Xcel Energy Center. The Sabres, of course, have often fared poorly in hostile ... Read the full article

Rasmus Dahlin performs dynamically in Sabres’ win: ‘A vision into his future’

At one end of the ice Tuesday, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin performed dynamically, scoring twice in the Buffalo Sabres’ 4-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets. At the other end, rookie goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen looked calm and composed, turning aside shot after shot in his fourth consecutive start.

At times during the past few weeks, as the losses piled up and the Sabres plummeted down the standings again, it could be hard to find positives in the ... Read the full article