Zucker - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Injuries sideline Sabres’ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Michael Kesselring

BUFFALO – Injuries will likely keep Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and defenseman Michael Kesselring from playing in Thursday’s season opener against the New York Rangers.

Coach Lindy Ruff said Luukkonen and Kesselring, both of whom left Wednesday’s 5-3 preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, are “kind of week to week.”

“It’s going to be more than day to day,” Ruff said following today’s pregame skate in KeyBank Center.... Read the full article

Sabres preseason: Buffalo loses another player to injury, gets one back

BUFFALO – Another day, another injury for the Sabres.

Coach Lindy Ruff said this morning winger Zach Benson has “a little bit of an ailment that we’re keeping him off the ice for.” He said the injury is only a “short-term thing.”

Benson joins defensemen Mattias Samuelsson (upper body) and Owen Power (strain) and forwards Jordan Greenway (mid body) and Noah Ostlund (undisclosed) on the sideline.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Konsta Helenius earning trust, displaying talents of special prospect

BUFFALO – After forward Konsta Helenius took an ill-advised hooking penalty with the Sabres clinging to a late one-goal lead, coach Lindy Ruff had two options.

Ruff could’ve benched Helenius, 19, for the final minutes of Tuesday’s preseason game. After all, an offensive-zone penalty at a critical time is a no-no.

“Or I could see what his next shift was going to be like,” Ruff said following the Sabres’ 2-1 home win over the Columbus ... Read the full article

After winning gold medal, Sabres’ Tage Thompson aims for 50 goals, playoffs

BUFFALO – Long before Sabres winger Tage Thompson scored the overtime goal that clinched Team USA’s first gold medal at the World Championship in 92 years, the demands of the tournament had left a lasting impression on him.

“I know it looks like it boils down to that one play … but it’s an accumulation of things throughout the tournament from everybody, which is something that I think I learned and took away from that ... Read the full article

Sabres preseason: Konsta Helenius has grit to complement skill, scores early

BUFFALO – With less than a minute remaining in Monday’s 4-0 road win in Columbus, Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius grabbed a pass at the blue line and skated down the right wing toward Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves.

A scoring opportunity in the waning seconds of the preseason opener hardly seems important, especially when you’re up 3-0.

Still, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff wanted Helenius, 19, to convert his prime chance.... Read the full article

Can late-season growth keep Sabres’ offseason changes to a minimum?

BUFFALO – Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin processed the question, searched for the right words and moved back in his chair a bit.

What has general manager Kevyn Adams told him that makes him believe the Sabres can finally get it done and reach the playoffs?

Dahlin, sporting a white hoodie and black Bills hat with a blue backdrop adorned with Sabres logos behind him, spoke confidently. While he refused to get into specifics of his ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Peyton Krebs becomes trusted, versatile asset for Lindy Ruff

BUFFALO – Six and a half months ago, Peyton Krebs sat out the Sabres’ season opener as a healthy scratch. In Thursday’s finale, his 81st consecutive appearance, he centered Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker on a scoring line.

Krebs’ consistent effort and willingness to embrace any task quickly earned him coach Lindy Ruff’s trust. It can be argued Krebs, 24, grew more than any player during Ruff’s first season back behind Buffalo’s bench.

His short-handed ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen shines in loss to Maple Leafs: ‘He was dialed in’

BUFFALO – So much for that late-season optimism the Sabres had been generating. Suddenly, they’ve lost four straight games.

Not that they’ve been performing poorly, mind you. No, they’ve led in three of those contests and lost once in a shootout.

They haven’t been finding ways to win like they did beginning in mid-March.

In Tuesday’s 4-0 loss, a game closer than the score indicates, they trailed 1-0 in the third period before the Toronto ... Read the full article

Coach Lindy Ruff focused on improving Sabres, not milestone win

BUFFALO – The pain of losing has always seemed to outweigh the thrill of victory for Sabres coach Lindy Ruff.

Right now, having won 899 games behind an NHL bench, he’s on the precipice of making history. Only four coaches in history – Scotty Bowman, Joel Quenneville, Barry Trotz and Paul Maurice – have registered 900 wins.

It’s a significant number Ruff, whose Sabres begin a three-game road trip tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets, ... Read the full article

Sabres’ James Reimer becomes NHL’s hottest goalie at end of odd season

BUFFALO – Following a one-game rest, the Sabres could turn to goalie James Reimer again tonight, awarding him his seventh start in the last nine contests.

After serving as a backup all season, Reimer, 37, has morphed into the NHL’s hottest netminder, winning six straight starts while compiling a 2.80 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.

If he plays tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes at KeyBank Center, Reimer can set a career-best win ... Read the full article