Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

Sabres’ Lindy Ruff confident Josh Doan will start scoring: ‘All the faith’

BUFFALO – For the final 15 minutes of Tuesday’s thrilling 3-2 overtime win, Sabres winger Josh Doan, who began the night skating on the top line, watched from the bench.

Following the game, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff acknowledged the obvious, that Doan, who went pointless in the first three contests, is “struggling right now.”

So when Ruff shortened his bench and revamped his lines late against the Minnesota Wild, Doan, 24, was one of the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jason Zucker progressing after surgery, has ‘soft date’ for return

BUFFALO – In the back of his mind, winger Jason Zucker said he and the Sabres have a time frame for when he can play again after undergoing sports hernia surgery in early August.

“But it’s a very soft date at this point,” Zucker said this morning in KeyBank Center.

For now, Zucker, 34, is rehabbing skating and joining his teammates for pregame skates. He participated in a gray non-contact jersey this morning as the ... Read the full article

Peyton Krebs, the Sabres’ ‘Swiss Army knife,’ has grown under Lindy Ruff: ‘He’s trusted me’

BUFFALO – As a first-line winger, a role he assumed for the Sabres late in Tuesday’s come-from-behind win, the versatile Peyton Krebs transforms his mentality.

Alongside center Tage Thompson and another scoring threat, Krebs knows he must forecheck, meaning he will have the puck less than he does skating on the third or fourth line.

“Kind of just contribute to those guys making sure they’re getting the puck,” Krebs told the Times Herald during training ... Read the full article

Owen Power, Tage Thompson star as Sabres roar back to beat Wild in OT: ‘Like a playoff game’

BUFFALO – Less than a week into the season, the Sabres have kept showcasing more of the maturity that helped buoy them to a thrilling 109-point campaign last year.

To wit: in each of the last two games, they’ve erased 2-0 deficits, roaring back for wins.

In Tuesday’s exciting 3-2 victory, which defenseman Owen Power won with 37.4 seconds left in overtime, they plowed forward after an iffy penalty and an awful non-call helped put ... Read the full article

Undersized Sabres D Zach Metsa earns respect for fight with Mathieu Olivier: ‘Extremely courageous’

BUFFALO – No one expected it. After all, Sabres defenseman Zach Metsa doesn’t fight much. As a pro, he said he had only scrapped once before taking on heavyweight Mathieu Olivier in Thursday’s season opener in Columbus.

As a rookie with the Rochester Americans, the 5-foot-9, 201-pound Metsa said he fought a member of the Syracuse Crunch whose name he doesn’t remember.

“I think he was No. 18,” Metsa said Saturday in KeyBank Center.

In ... Read the full article

Injured Sabres Alex Lyon, Jason Zucker skate with teammates; Buffalo likely to make lineup change

BUFFALO – In the coming days or weeks, the Sabres could be faced with a good problem: they might have too many players.

Goalie Alex Lyon (left shoulder) and winger Jason Zucker (offseason sports hernia surgery) both joined their teammates for this morning’s optional pregame skate as the they prepared for tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said there’s no timetable for Lyon’s return to the lineup, while Zucker could still ... Read the full article

Year after waiver claim brought him to Buffalo, goalie Colten Ellis entrenched with Sabres, ready for first start

BUFFALO – It was exactly one year ago today – Oct. 6, 2025 – when the Sabres claimed a little-known goalie named Colten Ellis with no NHL experience off waivers.

These days, Ellis, who’s expected to make his first start this season tonight against the Minnesota Wild at KeyBank Center, is a big piece of the Sabres, having established himself as a strong option throughout a surprising rookie campaign.

“Looking back a year ago today, ... Read the full article

Two injured Sabres close to practicing with team

BUFFALO – Injured Sabres veterans Jason Zucker and Conor Timmins could participate in Tuesday’s pregame skate, coach Lindy Ruff said.

That doesn’t, however, mean they’re close to playing.

“They’ll still be between a team skate and rehab skates,” Ruff said following today’s practice in KeyBank Center. “But they’re right on the line of skating and participating in our practices, (just) not on a daily basis. Just sort of introduce them into more vigorous practices.”... Read the full article

In free agency, Patrick Kane narrowed choices to Blackhawks and Sabres

BUFFALO – In the end, Patrick Kane signed with Chicago, choosing to return to the city where he’s a legend to help lead the Blackhawks back to glory.

The Sabres, Kane explained prior to Saturday’s game in KeyBank Center, aggressively pursued his services. When free agency opened July 1, one of the first calls he received was from general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.

“It was tough,” the South Buffalo native said of his decision. “It pretty ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jiri Kulich scores game-winning goal versus Blackhawks after return from blood clot: ‘Lot of emotions’

BUFFALO – The other guys, Sabres center Jiri Kulich noted, did the heavy lifting to create his first goal in 343 days, the late winner in Saturday’s thrilling 4-3 come-from-behind victory.

Seconds before he gave the Sabres their first lead in the home opener, Kulich misfired after center Tage Thompson sent him in alone on Chicago Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight during a four-on-four.

“I was pretty pissed after the first one,” said Kulich, who was ... Read the full article