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Sabres Rumors

Poll: Will The Buffalo Sabres Make The Playoffs?

January 29, 2023 at 11:00 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 13 Comments

The Buffalo Sabres are no strangers to hot starts that fade quickly. Despite being among the league’s best well into November multiple times over the past few seasons, the franchise has still failed to make a playoff appearance since 2011.

2022-23 seems to have a different vibe for Buffalo, though. The team sits eighth in the Eastern Conference by points percentage at the end of January, with teams over halfway through their regular-season schedules. They’ve surged past an injury-laden Washington Capitals squad to sit in playoff positioning, and they’ve kept pace ahead of other up-and-coming Atlantic Division teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators.

With 33 games left to play in their season, though, can they keep up their play?

Buffalo hasn’t exactly been a model of consistency for defensive play, but that was never the expectation for such a young team. While they sit among the bottom third of teams in terms of goals against, their 185 goals scored rank third in the NHL at the time of writing.

Their patchwork goaltending tandem of 41-year-old Craig Anderson and career backup Eric Comrie raised many eyebrows at the beginning of the season. Now, it’s turned into a more capable trio, including the 23-year-old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He’s started 20 games in Buffalo this year, the most among all Sabres netminders and his .900 save percentage is in line with the league’s average. Anderson, while he hasn’t played often, has exceeded all expectations with a .918 mark in 16 games.

Buffalo already has four 20-goal scorers, with Tage Thompson (34), Alex Tuch (23), Victor Olofsson (23), and Jeff Skinner (20) leading the way. Thompson, Tuch, Skinner, and Rasmus Dahlin all produce over a point per game. 21-year-old Dylan Cozens is enjoying a true breakout campaign with 43 points in 48 games. 20-year-old Owen Power is near the top of the Calder Trophy conversation and is playing more than any other rookie defenseman this year, averaging 23:39 per game.

There are many reasons to be optimistic. But with such an inexperienced and young team, along with the franchise’s recent history of disappointment, there are obviously questions about sustainability.

However, many questions can also be raised about their competitors for Wild Card positioning in the Eastern Conference. Alarm bells are sounding in Pittsburgh, as the Penguins have won just three games in regulation since Christmas. Similar concerns can be had about the aging Capitals, who are cooling off after a December hot streak and continue to encounter injury news at an uncomfortable pace.

Both the Red Wings and Florida Panthers, their closest Atlantic Division threats, have dipped into negative goal differential territory and have hovered close to the .500 mark for most of the past couple of months. It still may be premature to discount the Panthers, considering their tantalizing scoring depth on paper, but they also haven’t been able to keep the puck out of their own net with any consistency this year. Unlike other teams in the conversation, Florida also has no salary cap flexibility to add at the trade deadline.

That’s one area where Buffalo shines. Despite being in playoff position, Buffalo has the most cap space of any NHL team. While some may argue it would be premature for general manager Kevyn Adams to ship out assets at this year’s March 3 trade deadline, a non-rental addition could help solidify Buffalo’s already impressive core for future seasons.

So, we ask you, PHR readers: can the Buffalo Sabres hang on and make their first playoff appearance in 12 seasons, ending the NHL’s longest active drought? Make your voice heard by voting in the poll below.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Buffalo Sabres| Polls| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

13 comments

Mattias Samuelsson Suffers Lower-Body Injury

January 26, 2023 at 8:05 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu 2 Comments

When the Buffalo Sabres have been at their best this season, stay-at-home blueliner Mattias Samuelsson has been in the lineup. As The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington notes, the Sabres are 22-9-3 with Samuelsson in the lineup, but just 3-10-0 without him. Tonight’s news doesn’t bode well for the team, then, as the Sabres have announced that Samuelsson is out for their game against the Winnipeg Jets due to a lower-body injury.

Samuelsson has already missed some time this year due to injury, although it’s unclear if the injury keeping him out of the lineup tonight is in any way related to the one that caused his previous absence. While he’s not an offensive force, Samuelsson’s defensive play has received high praise. He was rewarded by the Sabres with a long-term extension that will take him until the 2030 offseason, and figures to, if all breaks right, be a long-term number-three blueliner for the Sabres behind the Sabres’ two top draft picks in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

Buffalo Sabres| Carolina Hurricanes| Joel Edmundson| Mattias Samuelsson| Max Pacioretty| Montreal Canadiens

2 comments

Victor Olofsson Wants To Stay With Sabres Long-Term

January 22, 2023 at 6:49 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

  • While Sabres winger Victor Olofsson has opted for short-term contracts in each of his last two negotiations, he told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News that he hopes to remain with Buffalo long-term. The 27-year-old is in the first season of a two-year, $9.5MM deal and has 21 goals in 45 games so far this season, good for third on the team.  Will that be enough to land the long-term commitment that he wants?   He’ll be eligible for an extension on July 1st so he’ll have to wait a little while to potentially find out.

Buffalo Sabres| Detroit Red Wings| Dylan Larkin| Los Angeles Kings| Ottawa Senators| Victor Olofsson

4 comments

Vinnie Hinostroza, Michael McCarron Clear Waivers

January 19, 2023 at 1:05 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Jan 19: Both Hinostroza and McCarron have cleared. They can now be sent to the minor leagues. For Buffalo, that means JJ Peterka can come back up, after being sent to the AHL this morning.

Jan 18: The Buffalo Sabres were trying to find a new home for Vinnie Hinostroza, and now they might just let him go for nothing. The veteran forward has been placed on waivers today, along with Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Friedman reports that McCarron is returning to play after entering the Player Assistance Program last month, and would be headed to the Milwaukee Admirals if he clears.

Hinostroza’s $1.7MM cap hit makes him a tough asset for teams to acquire, but clearing waivers actually could facilitate a trade. Any team would then be able to stash him in the minor leagues, burying $1.125MM until he gets back up to speed. A veteran of more than 350 NHL games, Hinostroza has played just 19 this year and doesn’t have a single goal.

If he goes unclaimed, the Sabres will at least be able to give him some playing time with the Rochester Americans. It’s not perfect, but at least would get him back on the ice regularly.

McCarron, meanwhile, hasn’t played since early December and has just two points in 15 games this season for the Predators. If there’s any chance of him suiting up for Nashville down the stretch, he needs some time in the AHL to get his legs back.

The 27-year-old forward costs just $750K, but is an unlikely target for claim given his recent absence.

Buffalo Sabres| Elliotte Friedman| Michael McCarron| Nashville Predators| Vinnie Hinostroza| Waivers

0 comments

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Recalled; JJ Peterka Reassigned

January 19, 2023 at 9:52 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

The Buffalo Sabres have shuffled things around again, this time sending JJ Peterka to the minor leagues to recall Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The young netminder is expected to start tonight for Buffalo, as they continue to use three goaltenders. It is interesting that Peterka is the one going down, given he played more than 15 minutes just two nights ago and has been a regular in the lineup so far.

Andrei Kuzmenko| Buffalo Sabres| Rasmus Sandin| T.J. Brodie| Toronto Maple Leafs| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen| Vancouver Canucks

4 comments

Luukkonen Reassigned; Krebs Recalled

January 17, 2023 at 2:56 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

  • The carousel continues in Buffalo, where Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been sent down and Peyton Krebs recalled, ahead of their game tonight. Luukkonen started last night for the Sabres so was never going to play tonight, meaning they can dress Eric Comrie and Craig Anderson instead, while taking Krebs along to Chicago.

Buffalo Sabres| Edmonton Oilers| Kris Letang| Peyton Krebs| Pittsburgh Penguins| Snapshots| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

2 comments

Buffalo Sabres Looking To Move Vinnie Hinostroza

January 17, 2023 at 11:27 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

Buried in Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts blog for Sportsnet is a small note about Vinnie Hinostroza. The Buffalo Sabres are trying to find him “a place to play,” writes Friedman, which was further clarified by Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. The Sabres are calling around to find a new home for Hinostroza, who has been scratched repeatedly this season.

Hinostroza, 28, seemed to find a home in Buffalo last season, scoring 13 goals and 25 points in 62 games. He was a nice depth scorer for the club, but that was while they were still rebuilding and losing most nights. This season, with some added depth at forward, he finds himself regularly in the press box, having only appeared in 19 games so far.

He still has eight points during those games, but all of them have been assists. Hinostroza hasn’t scored yet, and has just 23 shots on goal.

Signed to a one-year, $1.7MM contract, it’s hard to see him fetching much on the open market. The Sabres are trying to do him a favor and it likely won’t be of much benefit to their future. At the deadline, perhaps a team adds him for a playoff run, but finding him a regular home right now would likely be limited to rebuilding clubs that want a sweetener of some sort.

With cap space so tight around the league, it’s not like teams will be lining up to grab a $1.7MM 13th forward, even if they do believe he has a bit more upside than that.

Buffalo Sabres| Elliotte Friedman| Vinnie Hinostroza

1 comment

Morning Moves: Luukkonen, Blidh, Heinola

January 16, 2023 at 10:45 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The shuffle in Buffalo continues, as the Sabres recall Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen once again. Peyton Krebs is the player headed back to the Rochester Americans this time. Luukkonen is the starter for Buffalo still, but as the only waiver-exempt goalie on the roster is moved down between appearances.

The young goaltender showed on Saturday exactly why they are going through all the trouble. He stopped 38 of 41 shots to outduel Juuse Saros for the win against the Nashville Predators, taking the Sabres to 21-18-2 on the year. They begin a back-to-back situation today with an important game against the Florida Panthers, a team they are competing with directly in the Atlantic Division.

  • Anton Blidh is back up for the Colorado Avalanche, after last appearing more than a month ago. The 27-year-old forward has failed to score in his nine NHL appearances so far, and has just nine points in 23 games for the Colorado Eagles. He represents nothing more than a fourth-line replacement for this afternoon’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have swapped Jansen Harkins and Ville Heinola again, recalling the latter. Harkins was up while several forwards dealt with an illness, but will head back to continue his strong play for the Manitoba Moose. Heinola, who still has only 33 NHL appearances spread over four seasons, will try to get back into the lineup with the Jets on a more regular basis.

Anton Blidh| Buffalo Sabres| Colorado Avalanche| Peyton Krebs| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen| Ville Heinola| Winnipeg Jets

0 comments

Buffalo Sabres Recall Peyton Krebs

January 15, 2023 at 11:00 am CDT | by Ethan Hetu Leave a Comment

  • The Buffalo Sabres made a roster move that local media, including Noted Hockey’s Joe Yerdon, have reported is a paper transaction. The team has recalled forward Peyton Krebs from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, and loaned down goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Luukkonen is expected to be back on the roster in time to help the Sabres navigate back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday.

Boston Bruins| Buffalo Sabres| David Pastrnak| Matt Dumba| Minnesota Wild| Peyton Krebs| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

0 comments

Zemgus Girgensons Won't Play Against Nashville

January 14, 2023 at 11:43 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

  • Sabres center Zemgus Girgensons did not accompany the team to Nashville and will miss tonight’s game due to illness, relays Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The 29-year-old continues to be a fixture in Buffalo’s bottom six, a role he has held for nearly a decade and has four goals and six assists in 39 games so far this season.

AHL| Auston Matthews| Buffalo Sabres| Detroit Red Wings| Jakub Vrana| Toronto Maple Leafs| Zemgus Girgensons

5 comments
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    Cole Caufield Out For The Season With A Shoulder Injury

    Vancouver Canucks Extend Andrei Kuzmenko

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    Minnesota Wild Extend Matt Boldy

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    Toronto Maple Leafs Make Several Roster Moves

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    Poll: Will The Buffalo Sabres Make The Playoffs?

    New York Islanders Assign Aatu Raty, Others To AHL

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    Minor Transactions: 01/28/23

    West Notes: Donskoi, DeMelo, Bjugstad

    Colorado Avalanche Re-Assign Ben Meyers

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