WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
February Edition
Victor Olofsson (71) skates with linemate Peyton Krebs after scoring the go-ahead goal Tuesday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – As Sabres winger Victor Olofsson’s marathon goal drought neared the three-and-a-half month mark, he started watching video to remind himself that, hey, sometimes a slump isn’t quite as bad as it feels.
In the games before he scored the late go-ahead goal in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the New York Islanders, Olofsson began feeling better about his play. The clips illustrated the Swede has excelled in some areas despite his goal-scoring woes.
“That ... Read the full article
Mark Pysyk made his NHL debut almost nine years ago. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – At first, Sabres winger Kyle Okposo wasn’t sure if Mark Pysyk, his new teammate, might be serious. The defenseman always delivers his quips with a straight face.
“If you just met him, you’d probably think he’s not a very nice person,” Okposo said prior to Tuesday’s game at KeyBank Center. “But he is. He’s just goofing around.”
Okposo has learned the quick-witted Pysyk, who played his 500th NHL game Tuesday, a 6-3 win ... Read the full article
Robert Hagg will sit out tonight’s game. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – After sitting out Sunday afternoon’s win, Sabres defenseman Mark Pysyk will return tonight against the New York Islanders and play his 500th NHL game.
To make room for Pysyk, Sabres coach Don Granato said Robert Hagg will be scratched. Granato expects Hagg to sit out just one game.
With seven healthy defensemen, Granato has been rotating players in and out. Jacob Bryson watched one game last week before Pysyk was scratched for the ... Read the full article
Tage Thompson has already scored a career-high 15 goals. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The idea of Sabres forwards Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson someday comprising two-thirds of one of the NHL’s hottest lines would’ve seemed ludicrous a year ago.
Twelve months ago, Skinner was about to become a healthy scratch as his career-worst season hit its nadir. Meanwhile, Thompson was moving in and out of the lineup and skating short minutes as a winger when he managed to play.
Today, Skinner, having scored four times in ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner hit the 20-goal mark Sunday afternoon. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
In the two seasons following his scintillating 40-goal campaign in 2018-19, it appeared Sabres winger Jeff Skinner would never recapture the scoring prowess he possessed throughout that career year.
Skinner, who enjoyed a dynamic afternoon in Sunday’s 5-3 win, scoring a career-high four goals and adding an assist, looked finished as an elite NHL scorer.
Last season, Skinner scored just seven times in 53 games and was scratched three times. In 2019-20, he recorded 11 ... Read the full article
Casey Fitzgerald has played eight NHL games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – By the end of that night in Vegas, every member of the Golden Knights knew when Sabres rookie Casey Fitzgerald, the undersized defenseman playing just his seventh NHL game, was on the ice.
“And they didn’t like it,” Sabres coach Don Granato said following Saturday’s practice at LECOM Harborcenter. “It was the better players, that was the beauty of it. We can play him against better players and they’re looking over their ... Read the full article
Rasmus Asplund hasn’t scored a goal since Nov. 21. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Rasmus Asplund would catch himself falling into old habits. Before the Sabres winger went to sleep or when he woke up, the previous game might be weighing on him.
Asplund, 24, has worked to develop the mental side of his game. Following his arrival in the NHL two years ago, he became so tired mentally he learned exercises to help reset his mind. His new approach worked, and last season he would put ... Read the full article
Don Granato said his sister, Cammi, has “endured a lot.” ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – After the Vancouver Canucks named his sister, Cammi, an assistant general manager, Sabres coach Don Granato said he read some quotes “that were kind of funny and sad all in one.”
“She’s worked hard,” Granato said following Friday’s practice at LECOM Harborcenter. “She’s endured a lot. She’s earned her way up physically, emotionally, everything.”
In her introductory news conference, Cammi Granato, a Hockey Hall of Famer and former captain of Team USA, said ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin’s second-period goal ignited Buffalo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres’ blueprint for success is no secret. For about 20 minutes against the Columbus Blue Jackets, they played confidently and loosely, opening up what felt like a commanding two-goal lead early in the third period.
“We got that 3-1 lead, we had a couple of good shifts afterward and then we started changing the way we were playing,” Sabres winger Alex Tuch said following Thursday’s 4-3 loss, a game Jakub Voracek clinched ... Read the full article
Linus Weissbach has scored nine goals for Rochester. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In the third period of Rochester’s 5-2 loss last Friday, rookie winger Linus Weissbach hit defenseman Matt Kiersted hard into the end boards, freeing the puck.
A second later, winger JJ Peterka scored, moving the Americans within one goal of the Charlotte Checkers.
The assist wasn’t exactly pretty or the type of play the speedy Weissbach’s known for making. The Sabres prospect fell to the ice after hitting Kiersted, and it appeared he ... Read the full article