Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

Sabres’ Sam Reinhart to be game-time decision against Flyers

Buffalo Sabres winger Sam Reinhart is questionable for tonight’s road game against the Philadelphia Flyers with the lower-body injury, coach Ralph Krueger said.

Reinhart skated this morning beside top center Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall inside Wells Fargo Center, according to The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski, a sign he could play.

If Reinhart can’t play, Krueger said Casey Mittelstadt, who’s on the taxi squad, would replace him.

Reinhart was injured in a collision behind ... Read the full article

Amerks sign Buffalo native Dylan Blujus to AHL contract

The Rochester Americans have signed Buffalo native Dylan Blujus to a one-year AHL contract, the team announced today.

Blujus, a defenseman, has spent most of the past six seasons in the AHL, compiling 20 goals and 82 points 274 games. He played the last three seasons for the Utica Comets.

The Tampa Bay Lightning drafted Blujus, 26, in the second round in 2012, 40th overall. After playing playing junior with the Ontario Hockey League’s North ... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Dylan Cozens earns fast promotion to Eric Staal’s line

BUFFALO – Seventeen years ago, Sabres center Eric Staal lived what Dylan Cozens, his new linemate, is experiencing right now as a teenage rookie.

“It’s scary to think I was him back in the day,” Staal said on Zoom call after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s road game against the Philadelphia Flyers. “Time goes fast.”

In 2003-04, Staal, now 36, was a neophyte learning the rigors of NHL life. To boost his development, the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ralph Krueger on Bills’ win, INT return: ‘The whole city just exploded’

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said he heard horns honking outside his home in the Elmwood Village into the middle of the night after the Bills advanced to AFC Championship Game on Saturday.

“Lots of sound, lots of people running around with flags in the village,” Krueger said on a Zoom call following this afternoon’s practice at KeyBank Center. “So that buzz was terrific to feel.”

Krueger and his coaching staff wanted to share ... Read the full article

Sam Reinhart misses practice with lower-body injury

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Sam Reinhart, who briefly left Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, is day to day with a lower-body injury, coach Ralph Krueger said.

Reinhart did not practice Sunday but accompanied the Sabres to Philadelphia, where they begin a two-game series Monday against the Flyers.

Krueger said Reinhart’s injury, which he suffered in a collision behind the net, “appears to be manageable.”

“We will do a pregame skate again tomorrow ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to join Amerks

Top Buffalo Sabres goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be joining the Rochester Americans, his Finnish team announced today.

The Sabres loaned Luukkonen, 21, to HC TPS, a Liiga team, in August and had extended the loan agreement throughout the season.

The Amerks, the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, opened training camp Friday. The AHL season is scheduled to start Feb. 5.

In 13 games with HC TPS, Luukkonen compiled a 6-3-4 record with a 2.52 ... Read the full article

Sabres outplay Capitals, can’t exploit rookie goalie: ‘We made him look good’

BUFFALO – A night after the Sabres looked like they hadn’t played a game in 10 months, they settled down defensively, generated offense and outplayed the Washington Capitals.

Of course, it did not result in a win for the Sabres, who couldn’t exploit Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek in his NHL debut.

“I think we made him look good,” defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen said on a Zoom call after Friday’s 2-1 loss at KeyBank Center dropped the ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Eric Staal plays after taking elbow to jaw

BUFFALO – When Nic Dowd elbowed Eric Staal in the jaw late in Thursday’s 6-4 season-opening loss, it looked like the Sabres center could be sidelined for a while.

The Washington Capitals center knocked the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Staal to the ice and out of the game.

But Staal, who has remained remarkably durable over his 17-year NHL career, played in Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Capitals at KeyBank Center, pivoting the second line.

On Friday ... Read the full article

Ex-Sabres defenseman Casey Nelson retires from hockey

Former Buffalo Sabres defenseman Casey Nelson, who opted out of the season last month, has retired from hockey.

Nelson, 28, announced the news in an Instagram post this afternoon. He signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Sabres on Oct. 22.

“Stay tuned for the next chapter!” Nelson wrote in his post.

Nelson spent all of last season with the Rochester Americans, compiling four goals, 12 points and a team-high plus-18 rating in 48 games. ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Eric Staal to be game-time decision against Capitals

Buffalo Sabres center Eric Staal, who left Thursday’s 6-4 loss to the Washington Capitals after getting elbowed in the jaw, will be a game-time decision for tonight’s rematch, coach Ralph Krueger said.

Update: Staal will play tonight.

If Staal can’t play, Kruger said newcomer Riley Sheahan will be moved to center. Sheahan played right wing beside center Curtis Lazar and Jeff Skinner in the season opener.

“We’ve got a backup plan,” Krueger said on a ... Read the full article