WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition
Jack Quinn played 15 games this season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
BUFFALO – Before Sabres prospect Jack Quinn left the Rochester Americans earlier this week to undergo season-ending hernia surgery, coach Seth Appert said the rookie’s teammates gravitated to him and wanted to say goodbye.
In a normal year, Quinn, the eighth overall pick in 2020, wouldn’t have been eligible to play in the AHL. But the Ontario Hockey League’s COVID-19 pause created a unique opportunity for teenagers like Quinn to develop against men in ... Read the full article
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (pictured) will back up Dustin Tokarski again tonight. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
Top Buffalo Sabres goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will start his first NHL game Friday against the Boston Bruins, coach Don Granato said this morning.
Dustin Tokarski will play tonight versus the Bruins at KeyBank Center, giving Luukkonen, 22, another opportunity to watch a game from the bench as a backup.
The Finn dressed for his first NHL contest Tuesday, a 2-0 loss to the Bruins.
“It’s better for UPL to see one more night,” Granato ... Read the full article
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has spent this season developing in Rochester. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Not since Ryan Miller arrived here in 2002 has a goaltender’s debut been so highly anticipated. After less than two seasons in the minors, top Sabres goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is verge of starting his first NHL game.
Luukkonen, of course, likely won’t stick in the big leagues for long. Most goalies take years to mature, and the Finn, 22, has only played 25 AHL games.
Just look at Miller, the Sabres’ all-time ... Read the full article
Dylan Cozens had a terrific chance to tie Tuesday’s game early. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Just over 13 minutes into Tuesday’s 2-0 loss, Sabres winger Dylan Cozens grabbed a pass at the bottom of the right circle with goalie Tuukka Rask seemingly out of position to stop the puck.
But a desperate Rask recovered enough to get his glove, which was behind his back, on the puck to stop it. The save, perhaps one of the NHL’s best this season, kept the Boston Bruins up 1-0.
“It was ... Read the full article
Will Borgen was injured Feb. 20. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When Sabres defenseman Will Borgen blocked a shot with his right forearm Feb. 20 in New Jersey, he had no idea it had been fractured.
“They just kind of stitched it up because it was bleeding a little bit,” Borgen said on a Zoom call prior to Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to the Boston Bruins. “I didn’t have an excuse to not play at the time.”
So Borgen, 24, finished the Sabres’ 3-2 win ... Read the full article
Buffalo drafted Lukas Rousek in 2019. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Lukas Rousek, a sixth-round pick in 2019, to a two-year, entry-level contract, the team announced today.
Rousek, 22, tied his career high by scoring 14 goals and set career highs by registering 24 assists and 38 points in 49 games with Sparta Praha, a Czech League team, this season.
The 5-foot-11, 171-pound Rousek has compiled 32 goals and 78 points in 161 career Czech League games over the ... Read the full article
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has played 14 games for Rochester this season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
BUFFALO – Forget about goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s last six outings, Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert said.
Yes, Luukkonen, 22, has looked sloppy at times since the Amerks’ COVID-19 pause ended late last month, compiling a 2-3-1 record and an awful .863 save percentage.
But a lot of players struggle after being forced to sit idle. Luukkonen did not play for three weeks.
Appert believes Luukkonen’s early-season exploits and the strong habits he has developed illustrate ... Read the full article
Dustin Tokarski won two games last week. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Buffalo Sabres goalie Dustin Tokarski has been named the NHL’s First Star of the Week after earning his first two wins since 2015 and making a league high-128 saves.
In four appearances through Sunday, Tokarski, 31, compiled a 2-1-1 record with a 2.27 goal-against average and a .934 save percentage.
In Thursday’s 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals, Tokarski won his first NHL game since Dec. 12, 2015, making 27 saves. It was also his ... Read the full article
Dustin Tokarski made 34 saves Sunday afternoon. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Having played goalie into his mid-teens before switching to forward, interim Sabres coach Don Granato possesses a strong understanding of the unique position.
Granato knows the strain of playing back-to-back days often affects the goalie’s focus and other subtleties in his game. He might, for example, have trouble playing his angles or handling rebounds.
But in Sunday afternoon’s 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, goalie Dustin Tokarski looked sharper than he did a ... Read the full article
Mattias Samuelsson was recalled Sunday. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – A month ago, recalling defenseman Mattias Samuelsson and giving one of their top prospects a taste of the NHL wasn’t an option for the Sabres.
They were in the midst of their marathon 18-game winless skid, and the defense corps, like every aspect of the team, was struggling. They couldn’t expose a rookie to that environment.
But the defense has been thriving under interim coach Don Granato and interim assistant Dan Girardi, ... Read the full article