WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
2026-27 Season Edition
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been tough to beat as a rookie. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
Top Buffalo Sabres goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been named an ECHL All-Star with the Cincinnati Cyclones, the league announced today.
The Finnish rookie has been stellar for the Cyclones, compiling an 11-4-3-2 record with a 2.09 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage and three shutouts in 18 games.
The Sabres sent Luukkonen, a second-round pick in 2017, 54th overall, to the Cylones in November after he recovered from surgery on his hips.... Read the full article
Dalton Smith skated 86 seconds in his NHL debut. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
BUFFALO – The Sabres sent winger Dalton Smith back to the Rochester Americans today.
Smith, 27, made his NHL debut in Tuesday’s 6-4 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, skating 86 seconds a day after the Sabres signed him to a one-year, two-way contract.
The Sabres scratched the tough guy the next two games.... Read the full article
Conor Sheary beats Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky on Saturday afternoon. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – By the final minutes of Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 win, most of the crowd of 17,731 had seen enough of the Sabres and departed KeyBank Center.
It was nothing against them. The spirited fans enjoyed the Sabres’ second straight victory – it was one of the noisiest contests this season – but they had somewhere to go.
The Bills’ AFC Wild Card game against the Houston Texans would be starting soon, and fans wanted ... Read the full article
Scott Wilson broke his right ankle last season. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – After winger Scott Wilson broke his right ankle in training camp last season and missed the first three months, he spent five weeks in the minors.
While Wilson, 27, made it back to the NHL – he played 15 late-season games with the Sabres – his recovery was far from over.
“Really dealing with that ankle was a full-year thing for me,” said Wilson, who was injured Sept. 30, 2018.
So when the ... Read the full article
Wayne Primeau smiles on Saturday. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – For the second straight game, Sabres winger Dalton Smith skated in the pregame warm-up before being scratched.
If Smith, 27, had played in Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers, his uncle, former Sabres forward Wayne Primeau, could’ve seen his second NHL game.
On Monday, the Sabres signed Smith to an NHL contract and promoted him from the Rochester Americans. After 400 minor league games, the tough guy made his NHL debut ... Read the full article
Michael Frolik won the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2013. ©2020, Dan Hickling, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Like a lot of NHL players, Michael Frolik’s role started changing after he turned 30. His minutes dropped. He even became a healthy scratch.
After spending most of his tenure with the Calgary Flames skating on the second line with Mikael Backlund and Matthew Tkachuk, the Czech winger often played under 10 minutes this season.
“I wasn’t really happy with my role,” Frolik, 31, said on a conference call Friday to discuss his ... Read the full article
Victor Olofsson (68) was injured Thursday. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Winger Victor Olofsson’s absence for the next five to six weeks could extinguish the Sabres’ playoff hopes. From the get-go, they’ve relied on the Swedish rookie to score goals.
Now, the lower-body injury he suffered in Thursday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers could sideline him until mid-February, the Sabres announced Friday.
Having scored 16 goals and 35 points in 42 games, including six power-play goals in the first seven contests, Olofsson ... Read the full article
Victor Olofsson (68) hobbles off the ice Thursday. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – A lower-body injury will sideline rookie winger Victor Olofsson, the Sabres’ second-leading scorer, five to six weeks, the team announced today.
His loss is a massive blow to a team fighting for a playoff spot. He ranks second in goals and points on the Sabres, trailing only captain Jack Eichel, his center.
Olofsson has scored 14 goals and 35 points in 42 games this season. He has been a threat from the ... Read the full article
Scott Wilson has spent the entire season in Rochester. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
BUFFALO – The Sabres recalled winger Scott Wilson from the Rochester Americans this morning.
Wilson, 27, has scored six goals and 10 points in 22 games with the Amerks this season.
The Sabres lost rookie winger Victor Olofsson to an undisclosed injury early in the third period of Thursday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers.... Read the full article
Jack Eichel beats Edmonton goalie Mike Smith on a penalty shot in overtime Thursday. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – For 10 seconds during the first minute of Thursday’s overtime, Sabres captain Jack Eichel stood behind his own net to recharge as his teammates changed.
Possession is critical in three-on-three overtime, especially with Edmonton Oilers superstars Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl lurking nearby.
So Eichel wasn’t about to give the puck up. The center waited and waited and waited before the capacity crowd of 19,070 inside KeyBank Center.
At that point, Eichel had ... Read the full article