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Browsing: Sabres
There are a number of former Buffalo Sabres players scattered throughout the NHL, having a varied level of success this season. Periodically, we will check in to see how their players are faring. Today, we look at ex-Sabres playing for the seven other teams in the Atlantic Division. The Montreal Canadiens do not have any former Buffalo players currently on their roster, but here are those on the other six clubs.
Boston
Casey Mittelstadt – F, Henri Jokiharju, Nikita Zadorov – D: The Bruins have surprised many by bouncing back from a horrible season to tie for the division lead with 34 points. Mittelstadt, acquired in the deal that sent Charlie Coyle to Colorado, has 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists) in 20 games. Jokiharju was dealt by the Sabres for a draft pick and re-signed with Boston instead of testing free agency. He has six assists in 25 games. Zadorov continues to be a physically punishing blueliner and has nine points, and leads the Bruins with 25 penalty minutes.
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Detroit
Jacob Bernard-Docker – D: Bernard-Docker was acquired from Ottawa in the Dylan Cozens / Josh Norris deal and was not given a qualifying offer by the Sabres last summer. Signed to a one-year deal by Detroit, he has played part-time and has one assist in 16 games.
Florida
Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues – F, Dmitri Kulikov – D: Reinhart continues to thrive in Florida and is second only to Brad Marchand in scoring with 15 goals in 28 games. Rodrigues has been elevated in the lineup due to the injuries to Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, and has 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) in 28 games. Kulikov suffered a torn labrum in the second game of the season and is expected to be out until after the Olympics.
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Ottawa
Dylan Cozens – F, Dennis Gilbert – D: Cozens has settled into a third-line center role behind Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto and has 17 points (9 goals, 8 assists) in 28 games, but his glaring -12 plus/minus is worst on the club. Gilbert signed with Philadelphia in the summer and was dealt back to the Sens last month for Maxence Guenette. Since the deal, the Buffalo native has played one game.
Tampa Bay
Zemgus Girgensons – F, Jonas Johansson – G: The long-time Sabre has settled into a fourth-line role with the Lightning, and has five goals in 21 games. The workload being the backup to Andrei Vasilevskiy is usually light, but this season, the former Vezina winner struggled with back issues early on and forced Jon Cooper to use Johansson more than normal. In nine starts, he is 5-4-0, with a 2.85 GAA and .896 save percentage.
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Toronto
Jake McCabe – D: McCabe has settled into being a minutes-eating matchup defenseman who averages close to 22 minutes a night for the Leafs. In 28 games, he has 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) and leads the club with a +13 plus/minus.
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The Buffalo Sabres 2025-26 season has been defined by their chronic inconsistency. The club, through 28 games, has not managed anything longer than a two-game winning streak, and quickly stages a retreat after making some marginal progress. The Sabres posted consecutive victories over Minnesota and Winnipeg before heading out on a six-game road swing that will likely determine whether they remain competitive for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference or not.
After starting with an underwhelming performance in a 5-2 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday, the Sabres met the Jets for the second time this week and came out on the short end 4-1. Jason Zucker scored the only Buffalo goal, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed three goals on just 22 shots for his fourth loss of the season, while former Sabre Eric Comrie rebounded from being pulled on Monday with a 34-save victory on home ice.
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“If you look at some of those opportunities in the second period, where we had loose pucks right around their net twice, I thought we got outbattled on an opportunity to put a puck in an empty net.” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. “We’ve got one even-strength goal (in the) last six periods of play. You’re not going to win any road game if you don’t score five-on-five.”
The loss has the Sabres tied with Florida at the buttom of the Eastern Conference at 26 points. A big part of that lies in their inability to score and keep the puck out of their net away from KeyBank Center. At home, Buffalo has the seventh-best home record at 9-5-2, but on the road, they are 2-8-2, with just 29 goals scored and 51 allowed. Their -22 goal differential is also the worst in the league.
The club continues their road swing in Calgary against Flames on Monday.
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There are a number of former Buffalo Sabres players scattered throughout the NHL, having a varied level of success this season. Periodically, we will check in to see how their players are faring. Today we start with ex-Sabres playing for the eight teams in the Central Division. The Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals do not have any former Buffalo players currently on their roster, but here are those on the other six clubs.
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Carolina
Taylor Hall, Eric Robinson, William Carrier, Mark Jankowski – F: The 34-year-old former Hart Trophy winner is playing for his seventh NHL club and will likely finish out his NHL career in Carolina after signing a three-year extension last April with a no-movement clause. Hall has 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 26 games. Robinson, Carrier, and Jankowski each spent one season in Buffalo, and all are serving in depth roles for the Hurricanes. Robinson has five goals in 20 games, while Carrier and Jankowski each have one goal this season.
NY Rangers
Conor Sheary – F, Will Borgen – D: The veteran winger played two seasons with Buffalo before being traded back to Pittsburgh in 2020. After stops in Tampa and Washington, Sheary was signed to a PTO and earned a one-year contract to play for former Pens coach Mike Sullivan. In 26 games as a checking forward, the 33-year-old has six assists. Borgen played parts of two seasons with Buffalo before being claimed by Seattle in the expansion draft. After four seasons with the Kraken, he was traded to Broadway for Kaapo Kakko. In 22 games for the Rangers, the 28-year-old has four points (2 goals, 2 assists).
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Philadelphia
Nicolas Deslauriers – F, Rasmus Ristolainen – D: The veteran enforcer played his first four seasons with Buffalo before stops in Montreal, Anaheim, and Minnesota, before settling in with Philadelphia. The 34-year-old has played primarily on the fourth line for 12 games and has no points and 17 penalty minutes. Ristolainen has been out all season recovering from an upper-body injury, but has been on the ice in recent weeks and is hoping to get back in the Flyers lineup before New Yearâ€s.
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If the Philadelphia Flyers needed a game to reset their rhythm after a flat showing against Pittsburgh, they delivered the loudest possible answer.
Their 5–2 win over the Buffalo Sabres wasnâ€t always clean, calm, or particularly orderly — but it was effective, explosive in all the right moments, and full of the kind of layered performances that show how this team generates offense by committee.
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It was also emotional, bordering on volatile at times. A combined 12 penalties, a Dahlin boarding call that ejected Buffaloâ€s No. 1 defenseman, and a concerning exit for Cam York all shaped the energy of the night. But beneath the commotion, the Flyers put together exactly the kind of performance they needed to get back to winning ways.
1. The Flyers†Three-Goal Avalanche.
The Flyers scored three goals in 59 seconds, the second-fastest three-goal burst by any NHL team this season — and they also hold first place on that list.
The burst wasnâ€t random. It reflected the Flyers†best strengths when theyâ€re playing connected hockey: They attacked off clean exits instead of forcing plays through the neutral zone, layered bodies in transition, allowing the forwards to hit the offensive blue line with speed, and turned puck recoveries into instant second chances instead of resetting passively.
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The Flyers are now 13–0–1 when scoring at least three goals, which isn’t just about goal quantity — itâ€s about the way they attack in waves when theyâ€re on their game. When they combine quick-support puck movement with early off-puck motion, their forward depth overwhelms.
This was one of those nights. Buffalo never quite refound their footing after that 59-second avalanche, and the Flyers didnâ€t give them a chance to breathe.
2. Sam Ersson Did Exactly What He Needed to Do.
There were parts of this game where things got weird. Wild scrambles, broken coverage, flashes of open ice, and even a play where Sam Ersson found himself stickless in the crease.
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And yet, he was excellent.
Ersson stopped 26 of 28 shots, but the quality matters more than the quantity—multiple pad saves through traffic, crucial stops after defensive-zone breakdowns, controlled rebounds on Buffaloâ€s rush looks, and poise during the mid-scrum scrambles that could have easily tilted momentum.
“He was fantastic,” Travis Konecny said of Ersson’s performance. “I didn’t realize one of the big pad saves he made—I saw it on the Jumbotron; it was unbelievable. I’ve been saying it all year—we love both our [goalies] and he just proved us right again that we can trust these guys, play hard for them and…have these good starts and let these guys get into the game and shut the door for us.”
The best version of the Flyers includes stable, composed goaltending from both halves of their tandem. This was a meaningful step for Ersson, particularly after some uneven performances earlier in the season.
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He didnâ€t just hold down the fort. He allowed the Flyers to lean into the high-event nature of the game without getting punished for it.
Sam Ersson (33). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
3. You Get a Goal, You Get a Goal…Everybody Gets a Goal!
The consistent through-line was that this teamâ€s scoring is coming from everywhere. Top line, middle six, depth wingers, defensemen. Thatâ€s how you survive injuries. Thatâ€s how you handle high-event games. And thatâ€s how you stay competitive on nights when things get messy.
Travis Konecny
A goal and an assist, now with 26 points in 29 career games vs. Buffalo. Heâ€s looked sharper over the last week — quicker decisions, tighter puck protection, more assertive shot selection.
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Trevor Zegras
His 10th goal of the season, tying Tyson Foerster for the team lead, and extending a four-game point streak (3g, 2a). Heâ€s evolving into a steady producer rather than a high-risk, high-reward playmaker, which is exactly what this team needs from him.
How Trevor Zegras Is Rebuilding His Game—and His Reputation—with Flyers
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/players/how-trevor-zegras-is-rebuilding-his-game-and-his-reputation-with-flyers" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:How Trevor Zegras Is Rebuilding His Game—and His Reputation—with Flyers There's a moment from the Philadelphia Flyers‘ shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday that sums up everything you need to know about Trevor Zegras right now.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “> How Trevor Zegras Is Rebuilding His Game—and His Reputation—with Flyers There’s a moment from the Philadelphia Flyers‘ shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday that sums up everything you need to know about Trevor Zegras right now.
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Owen Tippett
Another goal — his ninth of the season, and now four points in his last three games.
Travis Sanheim
Two assists, another multi-point night, and continued evidence that his puck-moving impact is essential to the Flyers†transition game.
Bobby Brink
A goal and an assist, giving him four multi-point games this season and another against Buffalo (he now has nine points in nine career games vs. the Sabres). Brinkâ€s reads in tight spaces and his ability to extend possessions continue to be extremely effective against teams with looser defensive gaps.
Noah Cates
A goal and an assist, bringing him to 15 points on the season and 12 points in 11 career matchups with Buffalo. Cates looked fully in control of his two-way game — winning small-area battles, organizing line structure, and driving play with a level of confidence he didnâ€t have earlier in the year.
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Matvei Michkov
Two primary assists and now six points (3g, 3a) in his last five games. What stands out isnâ€t just production — itâ€s how heâ€s producing. Heâ€s reading pressure better, manipulating defenders with pace changes, and generating controlled entries that tilt the ice in the Flyers†favor.
“It’s fun,” Trevor Zegras said of having so many hot hands on offense. “We all love each other in there, so it’s cool that everyone’s finding the net.”
4. The Physical Temperature Rose — and the Flyers Leaned Into It.
This game got messy, and quickly.
It started with heavy forecheck pressure on both sides, then turned sharper when Rasmus Dahlin boarded Trevor Zegras, earning a five-minute major and a game misconduct. The ensuing scrum pulled in multiple Flyers skaters — including Cam York, who took the worst of it and did not return to the game in the third period.
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Thereâ€s no official update yet, but Rick Tocchet acknowledged postgame that he “thinks†it could be an upper-body issue.
The response from the bench was telling. The Flyers didnâ€t collapse defensively after losing one of their top back end pieces and channeled the emotional spike into structured pressure.
Nikita Grebenkin, in particular, made his presence felt — five hits, the most of his young career, and all of them with purpose. This wasnâ€t a game where he floated on the outside. He skated, he pressured, and he supported plays down low.
In a chippy environment, the Flyers weren’t short on penalties, but they were able to also channel that emotion and electric energy and turned it into goals.
Sean Couturier (14). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
Final Thoughts
This wasnâ€t the Flyers†most controlled performance, but it was also exactly the kind of game they needed to get back in the win column, and back into that take-no-prisoners mindset. They won a chaotic game by exploding offensively in organized waves, getting stabilizing, composed goaltending, relying on real scoring depth, matching the physical temperature without leaning into reckless decisions, and staying connected after losing a major defensive piece in Cam York.
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Thereâ€s concern around York, and rightly so. But the Flyers showed that the underlying structure theyâ€ve built can withstand absences and disorder. A high-event game doesnâ€t always show maturity, but the way the Flyers managed this one absolutely did.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo center Josh Norris matched his career-best single game points total in the Sabres’ 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night, making a triumphant return to the lineup after suffering an upper-body injury in the team’s season opener.
Norris scored two goals and assisted on the opening tally 2:46 into the game. His second goal gave the Sabres a commanding 5-1 lead less than a minute into the third period.
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It was Norris’ sixth three-point game and his first since Jan. 30 against Washington while playing for Ottawa.
That same game was the last time he also had a goal and an assist in the opening period.
Coach Lindy Ruff said Norris’ remarkable return wasn’t something that he anticipated.
“It’s speed combined with puck support,” Ruff said. “The puck support was real good, real evident it led to goals. It was a night where we were really connective.”
The 26-year-old Norris, a first-round draft pick by the San Jose Sharks in 2017, has struggled with injuries and appeared in only his fifth game with Buffalo since being acquired in a trade last season. The Sabres are his first new team after spending parts of his first six season with the Senators. They have been waiting for him to take on a larger role, so this game could give him some much-needed momentum.
Norris was injured in the season-opening 4-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Oct. 9.
It might be the start of the holiday season, but the Winnipeg Jets sure aren’t feeling festive these days.
Following a drubbing at the hands of the basement-dwelling Buffalo Sabres, Jets captain Adam Lowry initiated a closed-door players meeting, head coach Scott Arniel told reporters after the game.
Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press was first to report the closed-door meeting.
“Tonight, that was them. That was (Lowry) taking it,” Arniel said. “You’re hoping the response at the end of the next game is better than what it was tonight.”
The Jets lost 5-1 in Buffalo Monday night, capping off a one-month stretch in which the reigning Presidents’ Trophy champions had just five wins in 14 games since Nov. 1.
“We’re a veteran group,” Arniel added. “We recognize we embarrassed ourselves and we’re going to have to be a heck of a lot better next time.”
“It’s pretty disappointing, that effort after playing a pretty good game at Nashville,” Arniel continued. “Obviously, three minutes into the game and you’re down 2-0.”
The Jets dug themselves an early hole against the Sabres, surrendering goals to Jason Zucker, Bowen Byram and Josh Norris — playing for the first time since an Oct. 9 injury — to face a three-goal deficit after the first 20 minutes.
Connor cut the lead down to two midway through the second period, only to see Alex Tuch restore the three-goal lead less than two minutes later. Norris scored his second of the night, and the final dagger to the Jets, in the third period.
“We’ll have to go back and look at (the game),” defenceman Dylan DeMelo said post-game. “Individually, you watch your shifts, see what you could have done better. I’m sure the staff will have things for us to look at and go from there.
“We can’t hang our heads, we can’t feel sorry for ourselves. No one’s going to be throwing us a lifesaver here and helping us out. We’ve got to figure it out.”
With reigning Hart Trophy champion Connor Hellebuyck injured, Eric Comrie got the start between the pipes, but was pulled after allowing three goals on 14 shots and finished with a .786 save percentage.
“Eric’s been great every time his number’s been called this year, so to obviously have the start in front of him that we did, it’s frustrating,” Connor said of his goalie. “There’s not a more hardworking player or goalie than Eric.”
Thomas Milic came out for the final 40 minutes, allowing two goals on 17 shots in just his second NHL game.
When asked about throwing Milic into the fire, Arniel said he was just trying to shake things up for his team that looked lifeless after the first.
“Just trying to spark. (Comrie) is a go against Montreal. Really, we were chasing that game right from the get-go and I didn’t have the warm and fuzzies about anything happening.”
As for the rest of his lineup for Wednesday, Arniel is mulling over a few options.
“Everything’s in play here,” he said. “We’ll see where we are, we’ll check with our injured guys. Obviously we’ll look at this and make a decision for Wednesday.”
The Jets will have the chance to right the ship in Montreal Wednesday, when they take on the upstart Canadiens (7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+). They will then return home on Friday for a rematch with the Sabres.
Nov 28, 2025, 05:53 PM ET
Sabres forward Tage Thompson settled whatever lingering differences he had with Stefan Noesen by squaring off against the New Jersey forward on the ice on Friday.
The fight occurred 2½ minutes into Buffalo’s game against New Jersey and some nine months after Noesen leveled Thompson with an elbow to the head. It was the teams’ first meeting since Buffalo’s 4-3 win on Feb. 2.
TAGE. pic.twitter.com/ybBxHpu1eQ
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 28, 2025
As the teams lined up Friday for a faceoff in the Buffalo zone 2½ minutes in, Thompson and Noesen dropped their gloves and exchanged numerous punches in a fight that lasted about 30 seconds. It ended with Noesen falling to the ice and the crowd cheering on Thompson.
Both players were issued five-minute majors for fighting.
Noesen’s February hit on Thompson became a sore spot for several reasons, starting with how it happened.
Thompson was lunging for the puck at the Devils’ blue line when Noesen knocked it away and continued charging into the Buffalo forward by catching him with his elbow. Noesen’s hit spun Thompson around, knocked off his helmet and sent him face-first to the ice.
Noesen was ejected in being issued a match penalty but did not receive further NHL discipline.
Sabres players, meanwhile, were second-guessed for failing to rally to their teammate’s defense. While Thompson sat out one game, his teammates held a team meeting to address their lack of response.
“We spent time last year on this topic. That topic is really for me it’s behind me,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said before the game, when reminded of what happened. “I think the way our team has handled every situation really from that point forward, we learned a hard lesson.”
Buffalo Sabres players being on various NHL trade rumor boards has been an all-too-frequent sight and with it being American Thanksgiving and the Sabres at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the chatter will begin in earnest now that unofficial trade season has opened. A couple interesting nuggets from Sportsnetâ€s Nick Kypreos in his first trade board that involved the Sabres.
The first involved winger Alex Tuch. Kypreos echoed Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, who indicated on a recent 32 Thoughts podcast that the Sabres winger has to be looking for a deal in the same neighborhood as Los Angeles Kings winger Adrian Kempe, which would necessitate the Sabres coming off their negotiating stance prior to the season that they balked at a deal with an AAV of more than $10 million per season. Kypreos indicates there is still a large gap between the two sides, which could make the 29-year-old the most sought-after commodity before the March 6 trade deadline.
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The other involved Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo. The Leafs acquired the big right-shot defenseman from Boston in March for the playoff stretch drive, but Kypreos reported that Toronto explored trading Carlo to Buffalo for restricted free agent winger JJ Peterka before he was dealt to Utah for Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan, and then moved on to defenseman Bowen Byram, before he signed a two-year bridge deal.
While dealing for Carlo is consistent with the Sabres looking for players with term remaining, and the pursuit of a righty to play with Owen Power this season, either trade would have been quite a departure for Buffalo, who have not made a significant trade with their Atlantic Division rival for 32 years (Dave Andreychuk, Darren Puppa, and a first round pick for Grant Fuhr).
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The Buffalo Sabres playoff fortunes may rest on the next two weeks and how they fare on the road, as the club began a stretch of eight of their next 10 on the road with a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. With the exception of a 31 -second stretch after Jason Zuckerâ€s goal in the third period, the Penguins throughout, ending the Sabres two-game winning streak.
“Our puck play cost us dearly, cost us on the first goal, our puck play right after we got back in the game and tied it up,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said. “We didn’t handle the puck well, gave it away, didn’t execute the breakout and then ended up in the back of their net.”
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The Sabres have only one victory (a 5-4 overtime win over Detroit on November 15 in which they trailed 4-1 in the third period) and two overtime losses to Toronto and Boston in nine road games this season. After their Black Friday afternoon home game against New Jersey, the Sabres play seven of their next eight games on the road against Minnesota, Philadelphia, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Seattle and 10 of their 14 December games away from KeyBank Center.
One reason for optimism may be that Buffalo is getting most of their injured players back. Jason Zucker and Zach Benson returned in the last week, and center Josh Norris may return to action this weekend, lowering the number of players on IR to just three (Michael Kesselring, Jiri Kulich, and Justin Danforth). Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed three goals on just 18 shots, so it is likely we will see either Alex Lyon or Colten Ellis get the start against the Devils.
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<img alt="Sidney )Crosby (left); Jason Zucker (right) — (Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Images)
” loading=”lazy” width=”960″ height=”411″ decoding=”async” data-nimg=”1″ class=”standard-img” style=”color:transparent;aspect-ratio:960 / 411″ src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/6G1CP6FEJYCk96R2HldI.Q–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQxMTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_hockey_news_buffalo_sabres_articles_890/0bf00247147b109500967aa1ea81b0a2″/>
Sidney )Crosby (left); Jason Zucker (right) — (Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Images)
The Buffalo Sabres are currently on a competitive roller-coaster ride. On Wednesday, they came into their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on a high, as theyâ€d won four of their past five games, and they climbed out of the Atlantic Divisionâ€s basement, Things were looking up.
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Then, on Wednesday, the Sabres put in an effort that wasnâ€t good enough to beat a sliding Pens team and solidify Buffaloâ€s spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The Sabres were beaten 4-2 by the Penguins, and that development, combined with the Toronto Maple Leafs†2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, means that the Sabres once again are the worst team in the East.
.The Sabres managed to tie the game against Pittsburgh at the 7:20 mark of the third period on a Jason Zucker goal. But 31 seconds after Zuckerâ€s goal, the Penguins struck again on a Bryan Rust goal to make 3-1. And from there, the Penguins never looked back. They got a good performance out of Tristan Jarry, and they limited Buffalo to only 19 shots on net.
But hereâ€s the deflating part: in the highly-competitive Atlantic, all eight teams in the division played on Wednesday. And by the time the day was done, five Atlantic teams were victorious, so climbing up the division was for the most part extremely difficult. And because the Sabres were one of those three loser teams in the Atlantic, they had more separation between them and most of the teams in the division.
Star Center Norris Nearing A Return To Action — But Can He Stay Healthy?
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Thus, Buffalo canâ€t be content with just having a competitive game against any opponent. Thereâ€s a real and increasing pressure hanging over the Sabres, and every defeat they deal with is another nail in the coffin for coach Lindy Ruff and GM Kevyn Adams. And every loss is another step toward extending Buffaloâ€s Stanley Cup playoff drought to 15 years.
The Sabres†next stretch of schedule is particularly daunting, as they take on the New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets (twice) and Philadelphia Flyers. All of those teams have had solid success this season, so Buffalo will be in tough to climb the Atlantic standings.
Despite Sabres’ Surge, Buffalo Faces Long Road Back To Relevancy
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Buffaloâ€s poor start to the season now hangs over the Sabres. No matter what they do, they seem like theyâ€re stuck at the bottom of the Atlantic.
The only way out of their current place in the standings is a slew of wins – and so far this season, Buffalo hasnâ€t shown they can do that.
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