WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition
Tage Thompson has a season-long seven game goal drought. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Almost four minutes into Friday’s third period, with the Sabres trailing 3-1 and furiously trying to score, center Tage Thompson grabbed the puck inside the Montreal blue line and lost his balance as he began stickhandling.
As Thompson fell and spun around, Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier snagged the loose puck and zoomed down the ice on a two-on-one, beating Sabres goalie Alex Lyon from the left circle.
“Just fighting it tonight,” Thompson said ... Read the full article
Bowen Byram has been an offensive stud early in the postseason. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In watching Bowen Byram elevate his play and morph into one of the most dynamic performers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin has noticed the defenseman possesses a special attitude.
“You just see he’s got that F-you mentality on the ice,” Dahlin said. “He’s a hell of a competitor. … He just goes in to every game with no respect, just doing his own thing, and team is kind of ... Read the full article
Tyson Kozak has made his presence known during the postseason. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – If the Sabres had a seventh and deciding game tonight, you likely would see center Sam Carrick return from his left arm injury.
“I think you’d look at it that you’d probably put him in,” coach Lindy Ruff said this morning in KeyBank Center after the Sabres prepared for Game 2 of their second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.
But it’s still early in the series. Tyson Kozak, 23, has filled in ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin finished sixth in the Norris Trophy voting last season. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When the season ends, Rasmus Dahlin said, he will talk about it. Right now, it’s hard for the Sabres captain to reflect on what he has experienced over the past year.
Dahlin, 26, simply wants to look forward tonight’s contest, Game 2 of the Sabres’ second-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens at KeyBank Center. The Sabres on Tuesday won Game 1 of the best-of-seven series 4-2.
“I’ll just say it’s been a ... Read the full article
Lindy Ruff’s team got off to a slow start at home last round. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Looking back, coach Lindy Ruff believes a slew of factors contributed to the Sabres’ weak start at home in the first round against the Boston Bruins.
“The combination of anxiety, nerves, first time, too amped up, not focused on how we really need to play, versus kind of running around and wasting a lot of energy doing things that we don’t need to be doing in that first game,” he said Thursday in ... Read the full article
Josh Doan opened the scoring in Wednesday’s game. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres needed less than two periods against the Montreal Canadiens to accomplish what the Tampa Bay Lightning couldn’t in seven games.
Against a stingy opponent – the Canadiens allowed three or fewer goals in each contest versus the Lightning and just 15 total – the Sabres scored four times in the opening 29 minutes on Wednesday en route to a 4-2 win in Game 1 of the second-round series.
The Sabres, who ... Read the full article
These days, Rasmus Dahlin often has a smile on his face. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Mattias Samuelsson plays alongside Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin on the ice and sits next to him in the dressing room. The 26-year-old defensemen, who have been teammates for six seasons, know each other well.
Since the Sabres began their resurgence this season, Samuelsson has noticed a positive change in his close friend.
“I think you can tell it’s definitely helped his mood,” Samuelsson told the Times Herald.... Read the full article
Tyson Kozak played the final four games of Buffalo’s first-round series. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Center Sam Carrick has practiced just once since recovering from a left arm injury that sidelined him 13 games. Could the Sabres really insert in the lineup tonight for Game 1 of their second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens?
“We really haven’t put a date on it,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said of Carrick’s return. “Tonight could be a possibility.”
In Carrick’s absence in the first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the ... Read the full article
Alex Lyon won three games in the first round. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – It can be easy to forget now. Goalie Alex Lyon just performed dynamically while winning three games and backstopping the Sabres to their first postseason series win in 19 years.
But a few weeks ago, Lyon, 33, was a bit of an afterthought as the Sabres entered the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011.
In his last three starts of the regular season, he struggled mightily, posting a ghastly 6.24 ... Read the full article
Sam Carrick (10) has been an asset for Buffalo. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Expect to see center Sam Carrick, who has missed the last 13 games with a left arm injury, play during the Sabres’ second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.
Carrick on Tuesday practiced for the first time since getting injured in a fight March 31.
“He’s out there right now getting some contact,” Ruff said following Tuesday’s practice. “His fitness levels are good, everything. His return to play, he’s worked really hard ... Read the full article