WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition
Konsta Helenius spent most of the season in Rochester. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
Buffalo Sabres center Konsta Helenius on Sunday capped a breakout season by scoring the golden goal in overtime to clinch the World Championship for Team Finland.
Helenius, who joined the tournament shortly after the Montreal Canadiens eliminated the Sabres from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scored 10:42 into the first overtime to give his country a 1-0 win over host Switzerland.
After Helenius, 20, carried the puck from the left corner into the right circle and ... Read the full article
Zach Benson was a force for Buffalo throughout the playoffs. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Long before he gave the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens fits in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Zach Benson’s high-octane game rankled opponents.
The diminutive winger’s ultra-aggressive style helped him crack the NHL at just 18 and later establish himself as one of the Sabres’ most valuable forwards.
“I’ve kind of played like this forever,” Benson said last week in KeyBank Center. “I’ve kind of always played with that edge.”... Read the full article
Jake Richard played three seasons at the University of Connecticut. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres on Thursday signed forward prospect Jake Richard, a sixth-round pick in 2022, to a two-year, entry level-contract.
Richard, 21, played three seasons at the University of Connecticut, compiling 32 goals, 88 points, a plus-30 rating and 88 penalty minutes in 108 career games.
The Jacksonville native enjoyed his best season as a sophomore in 2024-25, registering 15 goals, 43 points and a plus-26 rating in 34 contests and earning NCAA Hockey ... Read the full article
Michael Kesselring played just 34 games in his first season in Buffalo. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
“Honestly, I think it’s been pretty good for me, and whenever the next opportunity comes, I’ll be probably the most ready I’ve been all year.” – Michael Kesselring on March 25 prior to sitting out his sixth straight game as a healthy scratch
BUFFALO – As he morphed into a spare part down the stretch, Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring tried to make the most of a difficult situation.
If the arrival of defensemen Logan ... Read the full article
Colten Ellis played 16 games as a rookie for Buffalo. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – It felt like goalie Colten Ellis’ stay here would be brief. Perhaps after filling the backup role for a couple of weeks as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen recovered from an injury, the Sabres would place the rookie back on waivers or trade him.
But Ellis looked sharp in his first NHL action and fit in well, giving the Sabres extra depth at a critical position and the ability to try different things.
Shortly after Luukkonen ... Read the full article
Jarmo Kekalainen (left) and Lindy Ruff got to know each other well this season. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Jarmo Kekalainen established a strong relationship with coach Lindy Ruff long before the Sabres promoted him to general manager.
Following his arrival one year ago as a senior advisor to former GM Kevyn Adams, Kekalainen spent every day with the Sabres, even participating in coaches meetings.
In their early days together, two hockey lifers developed mutual respect for each other.... Read the full article
Owen Power kept playing through an ankle sprain late in the postseason. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When Owen Power crashed feet first into the boards last Thursday, it appeared the Sabres might lose the stud defenseman for the rest of their second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.
Power briefly left Game 5 before returning to the bench and testing the injury during breaks. Late in the contest, he played two shifts.
He kept gutting out the injury in the Sabres’ final two games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In Monday’s ... Read the full article
Alex Tuch went pointless in Buffalo’s second-round series. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – As the Sabres took their place among the NHL’s heavyweights this season, their success bled into winger Alex Tuch’s family life.
Tuch said his oldest son, Tripp, “is just obsessed with hockey.”
So Tuch and his wife, Kylie, found a mini rink for Tripp’s playroom, where he puts on his roller blades, hears his father introduce him as “No. 89 for the Buffalo Sabres, Trippy Tuch” and skates a couple of laps with ... Read the full article
Lindy Ruff returned to the Sabres in 2024. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Before Lindy Ruff could accept a two-year contract extension from the Sabres, he had to consult with someone he called his assistant coach – his wife, Gaye.
The wife of an NHL coach has many duties, including being a sounding board when her husband returns home on those difficult nights.
Gaye has been doing it since 1997, when Ruff, 66, began his first stint with the Sabres.
“She’s the one that I would ... Read the full article
Lindy Ruff led the Sabres to their first playoff appearance since 2011. ©2026, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Following a breakout 109-point season, the Sabres have signed coach Lindy Ruff to a two-year contract extension, the team announced this afternoon.
The Sabres just enjoyed one of the most memorable seasons in franchise history, ending their NHL-record 14-year postseason drought, winning the Atlantic Division and defeating the Boston Bruins in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Montreal Canadiens eliminated the Sabres on Monday in Game 7 of their second-round ... Read the full article