WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Rasmus Dahlin missed his eighth straight game Tuesday. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was so excited to practice with his teammates Tuesday morning he said he woke up at 6:30.
“I was nervous, it felt like Christmas,” said an upbeat Dahlin, who has missed eight games after suffering a concussion Nov. 25. “Good to be back. I was really happy to skate with the boys today.”
Dahlin, 19, hasn’t played since Tampa Bay Lighting defenseman Erik Cernak elbowed him in the ... Read the full article
Casey Mittelstadt has compiled nine points this season. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Casey Mittelstadt understands why he was scratched. The Sabres center knows he played poorly in Saturday afternoon’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
The Sabres have forward depth again, so Mittelstadt, who has scored one goal in the last 21 games, sat out Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers.
“It’s not a secret I didn’t play well in Vancouver,” Mittelstadt said this morning. “Yeah, you want to play every game, ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin has missed seven games. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was so excited to practice with his teammates today he said he woke up at 6:30 this morning.
“I was nervous, it felt like Christmas,” said an upbeat Dahlin, who has missed the last seven games after suffering a concussion Nov. 25. “Good to be back. I was really happy to skate with the boys today.”
Dahlin, 19, hasn’t played since Tampa Bay Lighting defenseman Erik Cernak elbowed him ... Read the full article
Carter Hutton has endured a rough stretch. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – If Carter Hutton were performing close to his usual standards, the Sabres goalie would likely start tonight’s home game against the St. Louis Blues.
Hutton, 33, spent two seasons with the Blues, playing 61 games before signing a three-year, $8.25 million contract with the Sabres.
The veteran, of course, probably wants to face the Blues, the defending Stanley Cup champions, badly.
But for the for the ninth time in the last 12 games, ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel has been scorching. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
A league-best seven points in four games helped Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel earn the NHL’s third star for the week ending Dec. 8.
Eichel, 23, compiled two goals and five assists to extend his career-best point streak to 13 games (10 goals, 23 points). Meanwhile, a 2-1-1 mark moved the Sabres into third place in the Atlantic Division.
Right now, Eichel is enjoying the best stretch of his five-year career.
The center had a ... Read the full article
Marcus Johansson has a 12-game goal drought. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In his first days here, Marcus Johansson quickly established himself as one of the Sabres’ most reliable presences on and off the ice.
Sabres coach Ralph Krueger named Johansson an alternate captain before he played a regular-season game. Krueger also switched the veteran to center, a position he hadn’t played regularly since his rookie year.
Johansson, 29, started the season scorching as the No. 2 center, scoring four goals in the first nine ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo has missed nine games. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Winger Kyle Okposo, out since suffering a concussion Nov. 16, accompanied the Sabres on their three-game road trip, which begins Thursday against the Calgary Flames.
Okposo, who started practicing Monday, has missed the last nine games. Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said the veteran is day-to-day.
Meanwhile, with forward Evan Rodrigues ready to return from a five-game absence (lower-body), the Sabres sent center Jean-Sebastien Dea back to the Rochester Americans this afternoon.... Read the full article
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is in his first pro season. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
Buffalo Sabres prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been named ECHL Goaltender of the Month for November after compiling a 6-2-1-0 record with a 1.88 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and two shutouts with the Cincinnati Cyclones.
After undergoing hip surgery in late April, the Sabres sent Luukkonen, 20, to the Cyclones last month to begin his pro career.
The Sabres drafted the Finn, the Ontario Hockey League’s MVP and top goalie last season, in the ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner has gotten off to a strong start. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Through 28 games, Sabres coach Ralph Krueger has resisted the temptation to reunite 40-goal scorer Jeff Skinner and captain Jack Eichel.
When Krueger broke up the lethal duo before the season, it felt like only a temporary move. How long could he really keep them apart, right?
Well, two months later, the NHL All-Stars are still skating on separate lines.
Krueger awarded rookie Victor Olofsson a coveted spot as Eichel’s left winger, an ... Read the full article
Rasmus Asplund has played 10 NHL games. ©2019, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – After the Sabres recalled center Rasmus Asplund last month, his parents traveled from Sweden to catch some of his first NHL games.
For about a week, they watched their son, one of the Sabres’ top prospects, grow more and more comfortable.
Asplund recorded his first NHL point, a short-handed assist, Wednesday. He nearly scored on a penalty shot Friday.
“I knew it was close,” Asplund said of his first NHL goal.
But ... Read the full article