Winnipeg Jets - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen earns another start

Rookie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s start tonight in Winnipeg – a hostile NHL road environment filled with 15,000 noisy Jets fans – will be a new experience for him.

The Sabres goalie made his first three starts at home this season. Last year, the Finn played four games before no fans or very small crowds.

The Sabres, of course, have struggled on the road, winning just two of their 11 games (2-7-2). In their last road outing ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Victor Olofsson struggling to score after injury

BUFFALO – When he’s healthy, most days after practice ends, you can find Sabres winger Victor Olofsson on the ice honing his greatest skill by shooting pucks.

Olofsson’s lethal wrist shot – his ultra-quick release ranks among the NHL’s elite – elevates him into a special talent, especially on the power play.

But the soft tissue injury that sidelined Olofsson eight games last month has been hampering his shooting. In 11 outings since the Swede ... Read the full article

Kyle Okposo’s goals help Sabres beat Jets, surge back into playoff race

BUFFALO – Suddenly, the Sabres have roared back into the playoff chase. A few dreadful losses over the past month seemed to extinguish their faint hope of playing meaningful games down the stretch.

But a perfect weekend moved the fifth-place Sabres to within six points – in these parts, that’s meaningful – of the sputtering Toronto Maple Leafs, who own the Atlantic Division’s final playoff spot.

The trade deadline hits at 3 p.m. today. Are ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Jonas Johansson dazzles in first NHL win

BUFFALO – After receiving two starts early in his NHL career, Sabres goalie Jonas Johansson took a backseat to veteran Carter Hutton two weeks ago.

Hutton’s emergence from a long slump allowed the Sabres to utilize him regularly again.

So Johansson, a rookie the Sabres recalled when Linus Ullmark suffered a lower-body injury, patiently waited to play another game.

Prior to earning his first NHL victory in Sunday’s afternoon 2-1 win against the Winnipeg ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Nathan Beaulieu on trade deadline: ‘No one really likes this day’

TORONTO – Last month, during a stretch in which he sat out 21 of 25 games as a healthy scratch, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Nathan Beaulieu requested a trade.

But suddenly, Beaulieu, 26, has started earning regular action again, playing three straight games entering tonight’s contest against the Maple Leafs.

So perhaps the Sabres will keep Beaulieu past today’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.

Update: The Sabres have traded Beaulieu to the Winnipeg Jets for a ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel takes no moral victory from Sabres’ solid performance in loss

BUFFALO – Yes, the Sabres played pretty well against the Winnipeg Jets, hanging with the heavyweight club until the waning seconds Sunday afternoon.

Still, the Sabres shouldn’t take much solace in putting together a solid effort. They lost 3-1, missing a splendid chance to climb past the Carolina Hurricanes, who fell 3-2 in New Jersey, into ninth place in the Eastern Conference.

“I don’t know how many times you can take the moral victory anymore,” ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Zach Bogosian injury gives Matt Hunwick opportunity

BUFFALO – Since recovering from a neck injury that sidelined him the first 33 games this season, Sabres defenseman Matt Hunwick’s action has been extremely limited.

After playing two straight contests before Christmas, Hunwick, 33, watched 13 consecutive games as a healthy scratch.

Following a strong outing Jan. 29, Hunwick sat out another five games until Sunday afternoon, when Zach Bogosian’s lower-body injury – coach Phil Housley said he is day-to-day – pressed him ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Matt Hunwick to replace injured Zach Bogosian against Jets

BUFFALO – A lower-body injury will force Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian to miss this afternoon’s tilt against the Winnipeg Jets, meaning Matt Hunwick will move in for just the fourth time this season.

Sabres coach Phil Housley said Bogosian, 28, is day-to-day.

Hunwick, 33, missed the first two and half months this season recovering from a neck injury. The veteran has been a healthy scratch 18 of the last 19 contests.

Still, Hunwick’s one ... Read the full article

Jeff Skinner could enjoy one of Sabres’ greatest seasons ever

BUFFALO – Jeff Skinner tries to deflect credit for his recent scoring barrage. After all, the slick Sabres winger likes to point out, he has a terrific center in Jack Eichel and goals result from the players operating as a five-man unit.

“The line’s played well, the team’s played well,” Skinner said Thursday inside KeyBank Center. “You’re not going to be able to score unless all five guys are contributing. I think we’ve had that ... Read the full article

Phil Housley rips Sabres following ugly loss to Jets

BUFFALO – Phil Housley spoke in measured tones following the Sabres’ fifth straight loss, an ugly 7-4 shellacking from the Winnipeg Jets. The rookie coach, even in trying times, never raises his voice.

But Tuesday’s embarrassing effort left Housley seething. He looked agitated talking about the Sabres’ 33rd defeat, a game not as close as the score might indicate.

Forty-three games into another lost season, the hapless Sabres are arguably the NHL’s worst team. Right ... Read the full article