WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
November Edition
Kyle Okposo left Tuesday’s preseason win early. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres coach Don Granato said winger Kyle Okposo, who suffered an upper-body injury in Tuesday’s 4-2 exhibition win, could be ready for next Thursday’s season opener.
“It’s going to take a few days for him,” Granato said following Wednesday’s session of training camp at KeyBank Center. “The issue he’s dealing with will resolve. … You’ll probably see him on the ice in a couple of days.”
Okposo left the game against the ... Read the full article
Tage Thompson scores a breakaway goal Tuesday on Carolina goalie Pyotr Kochetkov. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres center Tage Thompson pounced on Jalen Chatfield, making the defenseman pay for his open-ice hit on winger Vinnie Hinostroza early in Tuesday’s 4-2 preseason win over the Carolina Hurricanes’ junior varsity squad.
In fighting Chatfield 15:41 into the game, Thompson quickly completed a Gordie Howe hat trick – he scored a goal and recorded an assist earlier in the period – and further illustrated the tight-knit group the Sabres have become.
Thompson, ... Read the full article
JJ Peterka has registered one assist in three preseason games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Coach Don Granato said it’s only natural that Sabres rookie JJ Peterka might be pressing as he battles to earn a roster spot out of training camp.
So far, Peterka, 20, has had an underwhelming preseason, registering just one assist in three outings.
“I would love to score a little bit more right now,” Peterka said this morning inside KeyBank Center. “But for me, it’s just trying to find my game and getting ... Read the full article
Peyton Krebs joined Buffalo almost a year ago. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – For now, Peyton Krebs has settled in at left wing, a spot he often played down the stretch as a rookie for the Sabres last season.
On another team, Krebs, 21, might be utilized at center, his natural position. But the Sabres, having built up impressive depth down the middle, can construct a lineup featuring about six centers. So a couple must be moved to a wing.
Besides Krebs, three other centers – ... Read the full article
JJ Peterka could start the season in Buffalo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – After reassigning 23 players over the weekend, the Sabres nearly have their regular-season roster set.
On Monday, 28 players – 15 forwards, 10 defensemen and three goalies – practiced inside KeyBank Center. The Sabres held one session for the first time in training camp.
They must finalize their 23-man roster by 5 p.m. next Monday.
The Sabres, who have two preseason games left, starting with tonight’s home contest against the Carolina Hurricanes, have ... Read the full article
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has looked sharp this preseason. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s terrific 32-save outing in Saturday afternoon’s 3-1 preseason win likely won’t sway the Sabres. They decided months ago that the Finn, a prospect labeled as their goalie of the future, should start the season in the minors.
So as they trim their training camp roster in the coming days, they’ll almost certainly assign the him to Rochester, where he will carry the load for the Americans.
Buffalo’s net, at least early ... Read the full article
Matt Savoie played three preseason games for Buffalo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres on Saturday assigned center Matt Savoie to his junior team and loaned 21 players to the Rochester Americans, their AHL affiliate.
They have 31 healthy players left in training camp. They must finalize their 23-man regular-season roster by 5 p.m. on Oct. 10.
The Sabres gave Savoie, the ninth overall pick this year, a long look during camp, awarding him three preseason games before sending to the Winnipeg Ice. Savoie, 18, was ... Read the full article
Lawrence Pilut has played 46 games with Buffalo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut chose his words carefully, refusing to dwell on the past.
In 2020, Pilut bolted overseas, leaving the Sabres to join Chelyabinsk Traktor, a Kontinental Hockey League team in Russia. His decision stunned the Sabres’ old regime, which believed the Swede was on the cusp of securing regular NHL duty.
“I don’t want to talk about that too much,” Pilut, who reportedly wanted a one-way contract as a restricted ... Read the full article
Matt Savoie has played two preseason games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In the end, chances are the Sabres will assign center prospect Matt Savoie to his junior team before their season opener on Oct. 13.
Savoie, having established himself as one of the Western Hockey League’s elite talents, will join the Winnipeg Ice and almost certainly enjoy a dynamic season.
In the meantime, Savoie, the ninth overall pick this year, has an opportunity to keep impressing the Sabres.
Savoie, 18, is the only ... Read the full article
Sean Malone enjoyed a career year last season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – At times last season, center Sean Malone said coach Seth Appert would pull him aside and tell him, “You’re right there.”
In his return to the Sabres organization, the West Seneca native quickly seized a leading role in Rochester, developing into arguably the Americans’ most versatile presence.
Malone had become what he called a “bubble guy,” offering valuable depth. Sooner or later, a recall to the Sabres seemed inevitable.
“And then I ... Read the full article