Tuch - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Tyson Jost offers Sabres intriguing talent: ‘He checked all the boxes’

BUFFALO – Tyson Jost couldn’t watch. The Sabres newcomer had spent almost six years in Colorado, growing from a teenage prospect and 10th overall pick into one of the Avalanche’s regular forwards.

As his old team roared to a Stanley Cup championship last season, Jost, who was traded to the Minnesota Wild on March 15, shut his television off.

“It was tough, it was hard,” said Jost, who was claimed off waivers by the Sabres ... Read the full article

Sabres likely to get two players back from injuries against Canadiens

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Zemgus Girgensons and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will likely return from injuries for Tuesday’s road game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Both players practiced today at KeyBank Center.

Girgensons, 28, endured a hit to the head Wednesday and missed Saturday’s 5-2 road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“It was unfortunate hit,” Girgensons said of the check in Wednesday’s 4-1 road loss to the Ottawa Senators. “I finished the second and then just ... Read the full article

Sabres fall to Maple Leafs, losing skid hits eight: ‘It boils down to compete’

TORONTO – A frustrated Don Granato kept talking, expounding for two and a half minutes on the Buffalo Sabres’ recent lack of competitiveness following their eighth consecutive loss.

“It’s pretty simple,” the coach said after Saturday’s uninspired 5-2 setback to the Maple Leafs. “You compete, you play with energy and you’ll feel better about your game. And I think right now, you don’t feel good about your game because you’re just not going hard enough, ... Read the full article

Sabres searching for answers after loss to lowly Canucks: ‘It has to change’

BUFFALO – This long Sabres losing streak felt a bit different than previous ones prior to Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to the hapless Vancouver Canucks.

The Sabres dropped four games to legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, playing each of them tough. Even their one loss to a non-playoff team, Arizona, didn’t look so bad after the Coyotes defeated some formidable opponents following their visit.

But losing to the Canucks, who limped into town having lost 12 of ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel felt boos from Sabres fans last season: ‘A little bit hurt’

BUFFALO – For most of his six-minute pregame media availability, ex-Sabres captain Jack Eichel spoke blandly, offering cliché answers about facing his old team as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.

But when the topic turned to the booing he endured March 10 throughout his return to KeyBank Center, Eichel, the face of the Sabres for six seasons, briefly opened up.

He felt the jeers and vitriol from the raucous crowd.

“It was ... Read the full article

Visit from Jack Eichel, Golden Knights gives Sabres stiff test they embrace

BUFFALO – Instead of blocking out the noise and trying to treat it like any of the other 82 games this season, captain Kyle Okposo wants the Sabres to embrace the stiff challenge facing Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights presents.

Games as anticipated as tonight’s haven’t materialized often over the last decade.

Right now, having won eight straight contests, the Golden Knights rank first overall. Their leading scorer, Eichel, the ex-Sabres captain, has ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin set to play after one-game absence

BUFFALO – Rasmus Dahlin’s absence last game wasn’t just related to getting sucker punched in the face by the Carolina Hurricanes’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

“It was an accident after,” the Sabres defenseman said this morning of the upper-body injury that sidelined him Saturday. “I was hit kind of late. My neck was a little bit off. I don’t know, it was a mix of everything. So it wasn’t that situation.”

Dahlin, 22, will return for tonight’s ... Read the full article

Sabres unveil revamped black and red ‘Goathead’ third jersey

Having grown up a rabid Buffalo Sabres fan in the early 2000s, the team’s black and red “Goathead” jersey holds special meaning for winger Alex Tuch.

“Definitely my favorite jersey (of all-time),” a smiling Tuch said Monday after the Sabres unveiled a new black and red jersey modeled after the uniforms they wore from 1996 to 2006.

The Sabres, of course, also recently introduced a blue and gold Reverse Retro alternate white jersey with the ... Read the full article

Sabres roar back late to beat Penguins, looking like playoff contender

BUFFALO – Ten games and seven wins into a new season, the Sabres look like they’ve already grabbed their spot among the Eastern Conference’s heavyweights.

The Sabres didn’t just beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 on Wednesday; they roared back from a two-goal, third-period deficit for the second time in three contests.

In extending their winning streak to three games, the Sabres shook off a weak start, sending the reeling Penguins to their sixth consecutive loss ... Read the full article

Sabres expect ‘angry’ Penguins team; Eric Comrie starts again

BUFFALO – The Pittsburgh Penguins limped into town this morning in the midst of one of their worst stretches in recent memory.

In Tuesday’s 6-5 home loss to the Boston Bruins, they blew three-goal second-period lead before falling in overtime. At least the Penguins earned a point, ending their four-game regulation losing streak.

They lost every game of their western road trip late last month, scoring just six goals.... Read the full article