Tuch - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres send forward back to Rochester, recall defenseman

The Buffalo Sabres on Sunday sent center Noah Ostlund back to the Rochester Americans so they could create a roster spot and recall defenseman Zach Metsa from their AHL affiliate.

The Sabres returned Metsa, 27, to Rochester last week to make rook for center Josh Norris on the 23-man roster, leaving them with just six defensemen.

Coach Lindy Ruff said on Tuesday the Sabres, who play the Flames tonight in Calgary, wanted to add an ... Read the full article

Soft hands, smarts help Noah Ostlund, ‘The Masseuse,’ stick with Sabres

BUFFALO – Noah Ostlund’s Sabres teammates got creative in giving him a new nickname. Instead of simply taking the first few letters of his last name and adding a “y” to the end, a standard hockey formula, they examined his skill set.

“His hands are incredible,” Sabres winger Alex Tuch, Ostlund’s linemate, told the Times Herald following Tuesday’s practice in KeyBank Center. “So it’s really hard to give him a bad pass, honestly. He’s always ... Read the full article

Josh Norris wows in return as Sabres beat Jets: ‘He was unbelievable’

BUFFALO – In his first action in almost eight weeks, center Josh Norris needed less than three minutes to give the Sabres a taste of what they had been missing for the last 24 games.

During a power play, Norris, who hadn’t played since suffering an upper-body injury opening night, skated into the right circle and adroitly fed winger Josh Doan the puck at the top of the crease.

A second later, winger Jason Zucker ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Colten Ellis likely to start again; Noah Ostlund uses ‘sick’ move

BUFFALO – Following a four-game break, goalie Colten Ellis looked sharp throughout Saturday’s 3-2 shootout victory in Minnesota, stopping 22 shots, including the last 14 he faced, as the Sabres ended the Wild’s seven-game winning streak.

Ellis, 25, received an early taste of Minnesota’s firepower, stopping superstar Kirill Kaprizov’s wraparound attempt barely a minute into the contest.

In overtime, the rookie calmly denied two shots from Brock Faber in close.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen shines in win, could be seizing No. 1 job; Isak Rosen sent to Rochester

BUFFALO – It took more than six weeks – just over one-quarter of the season – for Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to make back-to-back starts.

The Finn missed time battling an injury, mind you. Still, if he was the best option most games, he would’ve taken over the net a long time ago.

The Sabres couldn’t wait for him to find his game, so he has been sharing time with Alex Lyon and rookie Colten ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Alex Tuch steps up by creating goals; Bowen Byram avoids injury

BUFFALO – Following two pointless outings, Sabres winger Alex Tuch caught fire early in Friday’s blowout win, grabbing the puck behind the net and feeding Tage Thompson before the center adroitly found linemate Josh Doan at the net.

During a power play later in the first period, Tuch hit Bowen Byram from the right point as the defenseman crept into the slot.

In the second period, Tuch protected the puck along the wall in his ... Read the full article

Josh Doan, Alex Tuch help Sabres jump on Blackhawks early in blowout win

BUFFALO – After a loss so ugly it felt like it could kill any recent momentum they had generated, you wondered how the Sabres would respond against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Was it simply a one-off or the perhaps the start of a trend? Well, right now, after demolishing the Blackhawks 9-3 on Friday, Wednesday’s embarrassing 6-2 loss to the lowly Calgary Flames feels like a distant memory.

The Sabres, whose penchant for slow starts has ... Read the full article

Sabres star Tage Thompson attacking game and scoring goals as center

BUFFALO – In each of the last two games, Sabres center Tage Thompson has confidently freewheeled through the neutral zone and carried the puck with authority into enemy territory.

In Saturday’s 5-4 overtime win, he beat Detroit Red Wings star Alex DeBrincat in the left circle before cutting to the net and tucking the puck past goalie John Gibson as he fell to the ice.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Thompson nearly scored a similar goal in ... Read the full article

As offense struggles, Sabres need Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch to keep scoring

BUFFALO – Early in the third period of Saturday’s 6-3 loss in Carolina, the Sabres busted out of their week-long offensive slump, scoring twice to creep within one goal against the Hurricanes.

First, winger Alex Tuch beat goalie Pyotr Kochetkov from the right circle at 3:23, moving them within 4-2. Winger Tage Thompson followed up at 6:29, converting center Ryan McLeod’s nifty feed from the slot.

In a span of 3:06 the Sabres scored as ... Read the full article

Sabres can’t beat Joel Hofer, get shut out by Blues: ‘Got to bear down’

BUFFALO – The St. Louis Blues limped into town ripe to be exploited, having won just one of their last nine games and been throttled a night earlier by five goals.

In goal Thursday for the reeling Blues against the Sabres? Backup Joel Hofer, who owned a 5.02 goals-against average and an .836 save percentage, ghastly numbers that ranked second and third from the bottom, respectively, in the NHL.

The Sabres, meanwhile, began the night ... Read the full article