Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

Sabres sign goalie prospect Devon Levi to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres this afternoon signed goalie prospect Devon Levi to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Levi, 21, just completed his junior season at Northeastern, where he was arguably the NCAA’s best goalie over the past two years.

Levi registered a 17-12-5 record with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage and six shutouts in 34 games this season. On Saturday, the Huskies lost their first game of the Hockey East ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Brandon Biro quietly becoming elite AHL talent with Amerks

ROCHESTER – Last month, Buffalo Sabres prospect Brandon Biro approached Americans coach Seth Appert with a simple question: am I still playing well?

Biro, 25, had been on a tear nearly all season, scoring at more than a point per game clip. In December, he had six consecutive two-point outings and 16 points in 10 contests.

Then, suddenly, the center hit an offensive rut when the calendar turned to 2023. He endured a seven-game point ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Devon Levi named Hockey East POY, Hobey Baker finalist

A dynamic season in which Buffalo Sabres goalie prospect Devon Levi has compiled the NCAA’s highest save percentage has earned him Hockey East Player of the Year honors and a spot among the 10 Hobey Baker Award finalists.

Levi, a junior at Northeastern, has registered a 17-12-5 record with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage and six shutouts in 34 games this season. On Saturday, the Huskies lost their first game ... Read the full article

If Sabres’ Alex Tuch returns from injury, Victor Olofsson could be scratched

TORONTO – Winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin both participated in the Buffalo Sabres’ well-attended optional skate this morning.

So, will they play tonight against the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena? Sabres coach Don Granato said early this afternoon he hadn’t set the lineup.

“I don’t have any lineup decisions yet,” said Granato, whose Sabres have lost four straight games (0-3-1). “There’s a couple that need to be made.”

... Read the full article

Sabres make struggling Victor Olofsson healthy scratch against Maple Leafs

TORONTO – As the Buffalo Sabres split into two groups and began working on their power play hours before Monday’s 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs, winger Victor Olofsson took a knee and watched the units from the bench area.

It was an ominous sign that Olofsson, a staple of the power play for years, would be a healthy scratch against the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.

With winger Alex Tuch returning from a lower-body ... Read the full article

Alex Tuch scores twice in return, helps Sabres roar back to beat Maple Leafs

TORONTO – Realistically, if the Buffalo Sabres couldn’t defeat the Maple Leafs on Monday, their faint playoff hopes were likely over.

They had been reeling, and the same team that briefly grabbed the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot late last month fell seven points behind as it lost four straight games and six of its last seven.

The Sabres must go on a late-season run, and in a hurry. Well, Monday’s 4-3 come-from-behind victory ... Read the full article

As Alex Tuch nears return, Sabres lose top D Mattias Samuelsson, Rasmus Dahlin to injuries

BUFFALO – Following a rough week in which they lost four straight games and their top two defensemen, the Sabres sorely needed a boost like the return of high-scoring winger Alex Tuch.

The Sabres have struggled without Tuch, losing six of the eight games he has missed recovering from a lower-body injury. They’re in danger of falling out of the playoff race, and now Mattias Samuelsson and Rasmus Dahlin have each suffered upper-body injuries.

So ... Read the full article

Goalie Eric Comrie injured again in rough first season with Sabres

BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Eric Comrie walked into the dressing room Thursday after allowing 10 goals and immediately took ownership for the ugly loss.

Of course, Comrie, who’s week to week after suffering a lower-body injury in Friday’s practice, made 39 saves during an awful effort against the Dallas Stars. He was hardly the problem.

“He came in after that game and the first thing he did was try to apologize to his teammates,” Sabres ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Alex Tuch returns to practice; Mattias Samuelsson, Rasmus Dahlin injured

BUFFALO – Just as Sabres winger Alex Tuch might be returning to the lineup, top defensemen Mattias Samuelsson and Rasmus Dahlin are injured.

Tuch, out the last eight games recovering from a lower-body injury, practiced in a regular jersey this morning in KeyBank Center. Meanwhile, Samuelsson and Dahlin missed the session with upper-body injuries, according to the team.

Samuelsson, who turns 23 on Tuesday, is week to week. He briefly left Saturday afternoon’s 2-1 overtime ... Read the full article

Sabres end critical week with OT loss to Rangers: ‘We need to play that way’

BUFFALO – The Sabres ended the most critical week of their season having lost all four games and earned just a single point.

With barely a month left, they’ve dropped seven points behind out of a wild card spot and have two other teams ahead of them. Right now, the chances of them roaring up the standings and ending their 11-year playoff drought are slim.

Still, fresh off Saturday afternoon’s 2-1 overtime loss, a game ... Read the full article