Tuch - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stars in shutout, emerging as Sabres’ starter

BUFFALO – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s run as the Sabres’ starting goalie this season lasted about a week.

Shortly after he grabbed the No. 1 job, he got sick and missed about 10 days. When he returned, rookie Devon Levi had re-established himself following a brief trip to the minors, and the netminders mostly alternated starts about the next month.

But since Dec. 30, Luukkonen, who posted a 28-save shutout in Monday afternoon’s 3-0 win over the ... Read the full article

Injured Sabres center Tage Thompson ‘possibility’ to play against Canucks

BUFFALO – In the past, coach Don Granato said, the Sabres have experienced similar situations in which they wondered if center Tage Thompson would be able to play.

“You don’t know and, boom, he’s ready to go,” Granato said of other injuries Thompson has endured. “So he’s ultra-competitive. He’s played lots of games not at 100 percent and below.”

Granato there’s a “possibility” Thompson, 26, can play in this afternoon’s game against the Vancouver Canucks ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Alex Tuch earning respect as leader, starting to heat up offensively

BUFFALO – Coach Don Granato said the Sabres had discussed temporarily awarding winger Alex Tuch a letter before he gutted out more than 16 minutes of ice time and registered two assists battling illness.

The affable Tuch, a heart-and-soul player who’s also a top scorer, checks so many of the boxes the Sabres desire in a leader.

“There are lots of guys in the locker room that look up to Alex and that was probably ... Read the full article

Jeff Skinner suffers injury; Sabres could make change on defense

BUFFALO – Winger Jeff Skinner, the Sabres’ leading goal scorer, suffered an upper-body injury in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken and could miss tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators at KeyBank Center.

The Sabres are awaiting results of the imaging Skinner, 31, underwent Wednesday morning to determine how long he could be sidelined.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to be long,” Sabres coach Don Granato following Wednesday’s practice.... Read the full article

Defensive lapses doom Sabres in loss to Kraken: ‘It was the mistakes we made’

BUFFALO – The Seattle Kraken grabbed a commanding three-goal lead in the second period, and frustration immediately overwhelmed Sabres star Rasmus Dahlin.

Dahlin smashed his stick over the top of the net, looking more like a lumberjack than a defenseman, breaking it into two pieces.

The Sabres, having won two straight games for just the second time this season, began Tuesday feeling pretty good about themselves. As they started a six-game home stand, they had ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stars in win over Penguins: ‘Stood on his head’

PITTSBURGH – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen calmly faced each breakaway, patiently waiting in position in his crease as Penguins roared toward him. Each time, the Buffalo Sabres goalie stymied his opponent, barely moving and making the stops look easy.

In Saturday’s first period, shortly after Sabres winger Alex Tuch scored 2:53 into the game, superstar Sidney Crosby became Luukkonen’s first victim. In the second period, the Finn thwarted Rickard Rackell’s attempt. Later in the second, he stoned ... Read the full article

After slow start, Connor Clifton quietly generating offense for Sabres

PITTSBURGH – Pop quiz, Buffalo Sabres fans. Since Dec. 7, which player is tied with winger Alex Tuch for the team lead with eight assists?

Is it one of the Sabres’ top centers, Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens or Casey Mittelstadt? Or how about one of their high-scoring wingers, JJ Peterka or Jeff Skinner? What about their defenseman who piles up points like a first-line forward, Rasmus Dahlin?

If you guessed any of the above, you’re ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jordan Greenway, Alex Tuch to play against Penguins; UPL to start

PITTSBURGH – Buffalo Sabres wingers Jordan Greenway and Alex Tuch, both of whom missed Friday’s practice because of illness, will play tonight against the Penguins.

Both players participated in this morning’s optional skate in PPG Paints Arena. Greenway played 18 minutes, 39 seconds in Thursday’s 6-1 road win over the Montreal Canadiens, the most among Buffalo’s forwards.

In other lineup news, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will start tonight, his 19th appearance this season.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Victor Olofsson evolving in new role: ‘He’s become a better player’

PITTSBURGH – When you think of Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson scoring a goal, coach Don Granato said, you have a certain picture.

For much of the past five years, Olofsson has utilized his ultra-quick release and lethal shot, often from the circle area.

“You think of a certain spot on the ice where he opens up and it’s a one-timer,” Granato said following Wednesday’s practice in KeyBank Center. “It’s a shift slightly into the ... Read the full article

Sabres create roster space by waiving Tyson Jost, making another move

BUFFALO – If center Tyson Jost clears waivers and reports to the AHL – he has two goals and a $2 million salary, so teams will likely pass – he will begin his first stint in the minors in five years.

Jost, 25, fit in nicely on and off the ice last season after the Sabres plucked him off waivers from the Minnesota Wild, and he earned a new one-year contract.

But like many of ... Read the full article