WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition
C.J. Smith played for Rochester on Wednesday. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres recalled forward C.J. Smith to their taxi squad this morning and assigned goalie Dustin Tokarski from the taxi squad to the Rochester Americans.
The Sabres sent Smith, 26, to Rochester on Wednesday, and he recorded an assist for the Amerks in his season debut, a 4-3 win overtime win against the Syracuse Crunch.
Smith, who has 13 games of NHL experience, is practicing this morning inside KeyBank Center.... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo believes the Sabres must “grow organically.” ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The COVID-19 protocols the NHL implemented this season have stymied off-ice activities.
Wanna grab a bite to eat or check out a museum on the road? Wanna stop over after practice and play Xbox? Forget about it. Socializing is kept to the bare minimum.
The Sabres added eight new faces this season, so enjoying a team dinner or group outing would’ve helped the players become familiar with each other.
“You can’t go get ... Read the full article
Dustin Tokarski was with Buffalo’s taxi squad earlier this season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres recalled goalie Dustin Tokarski to their taxi squad this afternoon and assigned forward C.J. Smith from the taxi squad to the Rochester Americans.
Tokarski, 31, was briefly on the taxi squad earlier this season. The veteran played in the Amerks’ season opener Friday, making 31 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Utica Comets.
Smith will likely play his first game this season at any level tonight for the Amerks, who host ... Read the full article
Ralph Krueger wasn’t on the ice Tuesday. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Before the Sabres played the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 30, general manager Kevyn Adams said he asked Bill Daly about their opponent’s situation with COVID-19.
At that point, the NHL had placed five Devils on the protocol-related absences list. Based on the information the deputy commissioner had been given, the game at KeyBank Center was green-lighted, and the Sabres won a 4-3 shootout.
“The comfort was that we should move forward and ... Read the full article
Don Granato joined the Sabres last season. ©2021, Dan Hickling, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – When the Sabres play a game again, the chances of assistant coach Don Granato being behind the bench appear to be slim.
Granato, 53, missed nearly two months at the beginning of last season after he was hospitalized with severe pneumonia. He needed a ventilator and had a blood infection, according to The Buffalo News.
The Sabres have nine players on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol-related absences list. Coach Ralph Krueger, meanwhile, tested positive ... Read the full article
Ralph Krueger tested positive for COVID-19 last week. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Following an eight-day break, the Sabres practiced this afternoon without coach Ralph Krueger, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, and the nine players who are on the NHL’s protocol-related absences list.
Some quick updates from Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams, who spoke on Zoom before the session inside KeyBank Center:
– Adams said Krueger, 61, is symptomatic.
“I feel very comfortable that he’s being looked at from our doctors and trainers,” Adams ... Read the full article
Rasmus Ristolainen (55) is one of nine Sabres on the NHL’s COVID-19 list. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres, who have nine players on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol-related absences list, will practice this afternoon for the first time in eight days.
The Sabres’ facilities have been closed since Tuesday, when the NHL postponed four games. The league postponed two more contests Monday.
Stay tuned for more details. General manager Kevyn Adams will speak to the media at 1 p.m. The Sabres are scheduled to practice at 1:15 p.m.... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin has played 10 games this season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
On Monday morning, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin became the ninth Buffalo Sabres player added to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol-related absences list. Hours later, the league postponed two more of the team’s games.
In a best-case scenario, if the Sabres can play their next scheduled contest in six days, they will have gone 15 days between games and have six they must make up.
Of course, that is a big if. So far, the league has removed ... Read the full article
Patrick Polino played college hockey at RPI. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
Four days before Rochester’s season opener, the Sabres recalled Jean-Sebastien Dea and C.J. Smith, taking two of the Americans’ top forwards for their taxi squad.
Later in the week, Jack Quinn, a winger Buffalo sent down, had to begin quarantining because he was with the Sabres when their COVID-19 problems began. Meanwhile, another forward the Amerks recently added, Remi Elie, was completing a mandatory quarantine following his arrival in Rochester.
Before the ... Read the full article
Casey Mittelstadt has played two games this season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Forward Casey Mittelstadt on Sunday became the eighth Buffalo Sabres player the NHL has added to its COVID-19 protocol-related absences list.
In addition, the Sabres announced Thursday that coach Ralph Krueger, 61, had tested positive for COVID-19 and would enter the NHL’s protocol.
On Saturday, Sabres forwards Dylan Cozens and Curtis Lazar joined the COVID-19 list. Wingers Taylor Hall and Tobias Rieder and defensemen Jake McCabe, Brandon Montour and Rasmus Ristolainen were added earlier ... Read the full article