WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Training Camp Edition
Jiri Kulich has received a lot of action this preseason. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres’ plan for Jiri Kulich this preseason includes moving him around the lineup at different positions.
So the Czech forward, who missed most of last season recovering from a blood clot, is expected to center the top line alongside Konsta Helenius and Noah Ostlund for at least some of tonight’s preseason road game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Kulich, who will likely play all four exhibition contests, has spent some of training ... Read the full article
Mattias Samuelsson enjoyed a career-best season in 2025-26. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – It took less than one week of training camp for injuries to the hit the Sabres hard.
When the Sabres open the season next Thursday on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets, they could be without two of their top four defensemen.
Mattias Samuelsson, their top shutdown defender, is week to week with a lower-body injury he suffered blocking a shot in Tuesday’s 5-1 preseason win over Columbus, coach Lindy Ruff said.... Read the full article
Tage Thompson sported the “Goathead” jersey last season. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres will be wearing their black and red “Goathead” jersey 10 times and their new “Hometown Remix” jersey eight times during the upcoming season at KeyBank Center.
The Sabres brought back their popular “Goathead” jersey, which they sported from 1996-97 to 2005-06, as their alternate in 2022.
The “Hometown Remix” jersey, which celebrates the fans, city and local culture, according to the Sabres, will be unveiled at a later date. Each team will ... Read the full article
Olen Zellweger is attended to after getting hit in Tuesday’s game. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Uh-oh. Tuesday’s 5-1 preseason win over the Columbus Blue Jackets’ junior varsity squad proved to be costly, as defensemen Mattias Samuelsson and Olen Zellweger both left the game with injuries.
Samuelsson, 26, blocked Luca Pinelli’s shot 4:36 into the second period before leaving the game around the halfway mark.
Coach Lindy Ruff said Samuelsson, the Sabres’ top shutdown defender, will be further evaluated today.... Read the full article
Louis Crevier was a seventh-round pick in 2020. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In his early days with the Chicago Blackhawks, Sabres newcomer Louis Crevier couldn’t settle down. He said he played too nervously, afraid he would make a mistake.
“It was just mental,” the 6-foot-8, 236-pound defenseman said following Friday’s session of training camp in LECOM Harborcenter.
So Crevier, who joined the Sabres on June 23 in the blockbuster trade that sent defenseman Bowen Byram to the Windy City, tackled his problem.... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin can play just two preseason games. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – With the exception of one goalie, the lineup the Sabres will dress for tonight’s preseason game against the Blue Jackets is likely the one they field for their season opener Oct. 1 in Columbus.
With only four preseason games and veterans who have played 100 NHL games now limited to just two appearances, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff figured he would put his main group together tonight against the Blue Jackets’ B team.
Among ... Read the full article
Justin Danforth played just four games last season. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres forward Justin Danforth listened to the question and let out a deep sigh.
“Oh God,” he responded when asked about the most difficult part of the long rehab he endured after breaking his kneecap when he blocked a shot early last season. “It was a tough rehab.”
Danforth, 33, experienced an arduous and frustrating recovery after getting injured just four games into his first season with the Sabres.... Read the full article
Lindy Ruff is attending Celebration of Life for former teammate Brent Peterson. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres coach Lindy Ruff will miss tonight’s preseason opener in Pittsburgh to attend a Celebration of Life ceremony for his former teammate, Brent Peterson, in Nashville.
Sabres assistant coach Seth Appert will run the bench against the Penguins in Ruff’s absence.
Peterson, who played four seasons with the Sabres in the 1980s, died Sept. 11 after a long battle with Parkinson’s. He was 68.... Read the full article
Jiri Kulich hasn’t played a game since Nov. 1. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Jiri Kulich couldn’t stop smiling. Who cares if it was just an intrasquad scrimmage a few days into training camp? For the first time in since Nov. 1 – 322 days, to be exact – the Czech forward played alongside his Sabres teammates.
“It’s unreal,” an excited Kulich, who was sidelined by a blood clot last season, said following Saturday’s Blue and Gold scrimmage in KeyBank Center. “I can’t even describe the feeling. ... Read the full article
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen smiles Thursday during the first session of training camp. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – By now, eight years into his pro career, Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has grown accustomed to hearing his name in trade talk.
The Finn earned the label as the Sabres’ goalie of the future in his teens before injuries, struggles and a goalie prospect named Devon Levi, who was traded July 1, took some of the shine off him.
Over the years, rumors have swirled Luukkonen’s time in Buffalo could be ending.... Read the full article