WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
November Edition
Buffalo drafted Brandon Hagel in 2016. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Over the past 10 years, five prospects the Sabres drafted in the sixth round or later have played NHL games. Just three have earned regular duty.
Winger Victor Olofsson has scored 11 goals for the Sabres this season, a total that trails only center Tage Thompson’s 13. Goalie Linus Ullmark, who departed Buffalo in 2021, has a stunning 13-1-0 record for the Boston Bruins.
The other? Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel, ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin (left) and Mattias Samuelsson are Buffalo’s top defense duo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – At least 20 times tonight, Sabres defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson will hop over the boards together and be charged with trying to neutralize Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov and his linemates.
How stiff of a challenge will the Sabres’ top duo have? Well, Kucherov, who has been skating with center Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel, has registered 31 points this season, the NHL’s fifth-highest total. The Russian winger has ... Read the full article
Riley Sheahan played two games for Buffalo this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Veteran center Riley Sheahan’s career in the Sabres organization is over.
The Sabres on Sunday placed Sheahan, 30, on unconditional waivers, meaning if he clears, his contract will be terminated.
Update: Sheahan has cleared waivers.
Sheahan, who played two games for the Sabres this season, likely has another contract lined up, possibly in Europe.... Read the full article
Victor Olofsson scored his 11th goal Friday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – For years, the Sabres had company at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in the New Jersey Devils.
A season ago, when the Sabres missed the playoffs for an NHL-record setting 11th consecutive season, they earned 12 more points than the Devils.
But the Devils, who are coached by old friend Lindy Ruff, have roared past the Sabres this season, establishing themselves as one of the league’s heavyweights.... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo has played 15 games this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Peyton Krebs’ return to the lineup lasted one game.
Sabres captain Kyle Okposo, out six straight games recovering from a lower-body injury, played Friday against the New Jersey Devils, his first action since Nov. 10.
“Just some wear and tear I’ve been dealing with and had to give it some time to calm down,” Okposo said prior to the Sabres’ 3-1 loss at KeyBank Center. “But feeling better, ramped it up over ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo has missed six games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres captain Kyle Okposo, out the last six games recovering from a lower-body injury, will play tonight against the New Jersey Devils, his first action since Nov. 10.
“Just some wear and tear I’ve been dealing with and had to give it some time to calm down,” Okposo said this morning at KeyBank Center. “But feeling better, ramped it up over the past few days.”
Okposo, 34, recently began skating on his ... Read the full article
Jack Quinn has scored three goals this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The first quarter of Sabres rookie Jack Quinn’s season can be broken down into three parts.
In the early going, Quinn, 21, looked overwhelmed. So he embraced sitting out two games as part of the Sabres’ forward rotation, using it as an opportunity to catch his breath and study the game from a fresh perspective. The time helped him develop a better understanding of the team’s system and the intensity needed to ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner scored twice Wednesday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Was it the jersey, the popular black and red “Goathead” the Sabres have brought back this season and sported for the first time Wednesday? Did some of the energy they showcased a night earlier in ending their eight-game losing streak carry over?
Maybe a combination of both?
For the second straight game, the Sabres enjoyed a supercharged start, getting a goal from scorching winger Jeff Skinner at the 18-second mark that helped buoy ... Read the full article
Peyton Krebs has scored zero goals this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres recently stopped their forward rotation, so anyone who sits out as a healthy scratch these days has likely been ineffective, not caught in a numbers game.
Down the stretch as a rookie last season, center Peyton Krebs, 21, established himself as one of the Sabres’ top young forwards. But through 17 outings this year, he has struggled, mustering zero goals, three assists and just 10 shots on goal. He has ... Read the full article
Don Granato instructs the Sabres during Monday’s practice. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Kevyn Adams constructed a roster filled with rookies and other neophytes in their early 20s knowing the Sabres would experience ups and downs. Still, the general manager never expected this: an eight-game losing streak following a torrid start.
Three weeks ago, it felt like the Sabres, the NHL’s youngest team, had established themselves as a legitimate playoff contender in the crowded Eastern Conference.
They throttled the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 on Nov. 2, improving ... Read the full article