Ullmark - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres goalies Linus Ullmark and Chad Johnson willing to share net

BUFFALO – Linus Ullmark’s spirited celebration, which has quickly become a regular occurrence when the final horn signals another win for the Sabres goalie, wasn’t premeditated.

When Ullmark notched his first NHL victory Oct. 30, he excitedly got on one knee and pumped his arm low after a 27-save performance in a 3-1 win against Philadelphia. The Swede, 22, never really planned to do it again, but his next three wins were all ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Chad Johnson earns start against Sharks

BUFFALO – In his sixth NHL start Thursday, rookie goalie Linus Ullmark dazzled again, stopping 38 shots in the Sabres’ 3-2 win in Florida. But two nights earlier in Tampa Bay, Chad Johnson looked sharp throughout the Sabres’ 4-1 win, making 31 stops.

So which netminder will Sabres coach Dan Bylsma use tonight against the San Jose Sharks inside the First Niagara Center? Johnson will make his 12^th appearance this season.

“I think for ... Read the full article

Rasmus Ristolainen’s late goal pushes Sabres past Canucks

BUFFALO – There were still 16.8 seconds left on the clock, but Rasmus Ristolainen figured what the heck, his second goal of the game, the winner in the Sabres’ exciting 3-2 victory against goalie Ryan Miller’s Vancouver Canucks, needed to be celebrated wildly.

So the defenseman skated to center ice, slid down on his knees and yelled out as the capacity crowd of 19,070 fans roared Saturday afternoon. Tyler Ennis, whose dynamic effort created the ... Read the full article

Sabres fans and goalie Ryan Miller salute each other

BUFFALO – Ryan Miller wanted to thank everyone in the building. So when the stirring video tribute honoring the former Sabres goalie ended Saturday afternoon, he skated out from his crease, raised his stick and turned around as he applauded the crowd that was roaring for him.

“I can take a second to turn around and make sure everyone knows it’s everybody and not just raising the stick,” Miller said following the Vancouver Canucks’ 3-2 ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly and Tyler Ennis to be broken up

BUFFALO – Ryan O’Reilly and Tyler Ennis, the Sabres’ top center-wing duo all season, will be broken up to start this afternoon’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, coach Dan Bylsma said.

“There’s not a lot to it,” Bylsma said this morning. “Tyler’s pressing a little bit in certain circumstances, certain situations. I think maybe just a different look for our line in terms of possibly playing a team that has one line that’s their top ... Read the full article

Sabres fall apart early, lose to Lightning

BUFFALO – Following a wretched first period Thursday in which the Sabres fell behind 3-0, coach Dan Bylsma, desperate for a spark, yanked goalie Linus Ullmark, a rookie whose fine performances had the upstart club gunning for its first three-game winning streak in 11 months.

“I don’t know how he’s going to handle it,” Bylsma said following the Sabres’ 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, “but I made it pretty clear it wasn’t ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark earns start against Lightning

BUFFALO – If you dreamed up 10 or 15 goaltending scenarios for the Sabres before the season, rookie Linus Ullmark earning regular duty in November wouldn’t have been one, coach Dan Bylsma said.

But Ullmark, 22, thanks to an injury to starter Robin Lehner and his own impressive play, will start his third straight game tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning inside the First Niagara Center.

Ullmark, having undergone surgery on both hips in April, ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Brian Gionta and Zemgus Girgensons starting to showcase offensive skills

BUFFALO – Just over six minutes into the third period Sunday, Sabres captain Brian Gionta deftly backhanded the puck along the left boards through the neutral zone into Islanders territory. Center Zemgus Girgensons then barreled in, retrieving the pass in the circle before slickly feeding Matt Moulson for the tying goal.

For Girgensons, the nifty assist in the Sabres’ 2-1 victory against New York was his first this season and just his second point. For ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Dan Bylsma disappointed to see Connor McDavid injured

BUFFALO – Besides being a coach, the Sabres’ Dan Bylsma counts himself as a hockey fan.

So Oilers phenom Connor McDavid’s first meeting with Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby on Friday in Edmonton, one of the most anticipated matchups on the NHL schedule this season, was circled on Bylsma’s calendar.

Now, with McDavid sidelined “months” with a broken clavicle he suffered late Tuesday in the Oilers’ 4-2 win against Philadelphia, Bylsma, like most hockey fans, ... Read the full article

Rookie goalie Linus Ullmark impressing Sabres

BUFFALO – Three games, that’s it – just a blip in a marathon season. But in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately NHL, Linus Ullmark’s small body of work is enough to convince some the rookie should be the Sabres’ new starting goalie.

Following a so-so debut, Ullmark dazzled in his second straight start Sunday, stopping 29 shots in the Sabres’ 2-1 road win against the New York Islanders. On Friday, the prospect made 27 saves in a 3-1 ... Read the full article