WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
November Edition
Buffalo’s Casey Fitzgerald (right) fights Vegas’ Keegan Kolesar on March 10. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Instead of blocking out the noise and trying to treat it like any of the other 82 games this season, captain Kyle Okposo wants the Sabres to embrace the stiff challenge facing Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights presents.
Games as anticipated as tonight’s haven’t materialized often over the last decade.
Right now, having won eight straight contests, the Golden Knights rank first overall. Their leading scorer, Eichel, the ex-Sabres captain, has ... Read the full article
Henri Jokijarju has missed the last nine games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Shortly before Wednesday’s practice, Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju was on the KeyBank Center ice skating in a gold jersey and tinted visor. When the session began, he stayed out, participating in a non-contact role.
Jokiharju’s first practice since suffering an upper-body injury Oct. 20 is simply a first step, Sabres coach Don Granato said. Right now, there’s no timetable for his return.
The Finn, 23, hasn’t played since a puck hit him in ... Read the full article
Buffalo goalie Eric Comrie tries to stop Arizona’s Jack McBain on Tuesday. ©2022, Micheine Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Barely 20 seconds into Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, Sabres defenseman Owen Power left the puck behind the net, and his partner, Kale Clague, overskated it, creating an easy goal for Lawson Crouse.
The gaffe turned out to be a harbinger for the Sabres, who looked disjointed and sluggish throughout the night, often drawing the ire of the announced crowd of 10,296 fans at KeyBank Center.
The Sabres’ third straight loss ... Read the full article
Kale Clague joined Buffalo in the summer. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In his previous stops, Sabres defenseman Kale Clague couldn’t always play aggressively. That often neutralized his skating, his greatest strength.
The Sabres, however, want to attack and push the pace. If players make mistakes, coach Don Granato and his staff can live with them.
“The system (here) allows me to be aggressive, whereas maybe some teams prior I’ve been a little bit more on my heels a little bit, based on that,” Clague ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin missed one game. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Rasmus Dahlin’s absence last game wasn’t just related to getting sucker punched in the face by the Carolina Hurricanes’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
“It was an accident after,” the Sabres defenseman said this morning of the upper-body injury that sidelined him Saturday. “I was hit kind of late. My neck was a little bit off. I don’t know, it was a mix of everything. So it wasn’t that situation.”
Dahlin, 22, will return for tonight’s ... Read the full article
Owen Power has been playing big minutes as a rookie. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sooner than later, Sabres rookie Owen Power was expected to play mega minutes and emerge as a workhorse on the blue line.
But just 20 games into his NHL career? Well, Power skated a personal-high 28 minutes, 14 seconds in Saturday’s 5-3 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Through 12 outings this season entering tonight’s contest against the Arizona Coyotes at KeyBank Center, he has averaged 23 minutes, 9 seconds of ice ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo models Buffalo’s new third jersey. ©2022, Buffalo Sabres
Having grown up a rabid Buffalo Sabres fan in the early 2000s, the team’s black and red “Goathead” jersey holds special meaning for winger Alex Tuch.
“Definitely my favorite jersey (of all-time),” a smiling Tuch said Monday after the Sabres unveiled a new black and red jersey modeled after the uniforms they wore from 1996 to 2006.
The Sabres, of course, also recently introduced a blue and gold Reverse Retro alternate white jersey with the ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin has missed one game. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres deefenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who suffered an upper-body injury in Friday’s 5-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, could play Tuesday, coach Don Granato said.
“There is a chance,” Granato said following this afternoon’s practice at KeyBank Center.
Dahlin, the Sabres’ top defenseman, did not practice today. Late in the session, he walked out in the tunnel and watched his teammates for several minutes.... Read the full article
Lukas Rousek scores his third-period goal Friday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
ROCHESTER – In the opening weeks of his first full AHL season, Americans winger Lukas Rousek has further cemented his status as one of the Sabres’ best forward prospects.
Through the first nine games, Rousek, 23, has registered three goals and nine points, the Amerks’ third-highest total. With veteran forwards Sean Malone and Michael Mersch injured, the Czech’s contributions have been critical the team’s 6-3-0-0 start.
Rousek tied Friday’s game against the Utica Comets 3:19 ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo has found a groove following a slow start. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – As Sabres captain Kyle Okposo struggled through the first week of the season, he tried to keep a strong perspective and any negative thoughts to a minimum.
Okposo, 34, wanted to give his mind a break during a hectic time. An upper-body injury had sidelined him during the final days of training camp, costing him valuable preparation time as he began his 16th NHL campaign. He had also just been named the 20th ... Read the full article