The Buffalo Sabres are off until February 10th when they return to action to face the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The AHL’s Rochester Americans, affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres, will be in action twice during the All-Star Break. Once on February 5th and again on February 9th. The Sabres and Americans have made numerous exchanges this past week, from the Sabres loaning taxi squad players back to the Americans to keeping a couple of young players active in Rochester during the All-Star Break.
Goaltender Michael Houser, slotted to fill in for the then-suspended Aaron Dell, is one of those players. Houser, who is 2-0 this season in the NHL with a .948 save percentage landed on the COVID-19 list before he had a chance to fill in. However, returning to Rochester along with Dell will give him an opportunity to see more playing time now that Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski returned to the lineup.
Why the Buffalo Sabres AHL affiliate is must-watch hockey
The Sabres have also assigned center Peyton Krebs and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson to Rochester for at least the break. Krebs has been outstanding in 11 games with the Sabres this season, totaling five points in 11 games. The physically-imposing Samuelsson has averaged nearly 19 minutes of ice time and shown physicality with 12 hits and 16 blocks in eight appearances.
Other players assigned back to the Americans this past week include exciting up-and-comers like J.J. Peterka, Brandon Biro, and Oskari Laaksonen, among others. They served time recently as members of the team’s “taxi squad” when injuries and COVID-19 affected the Sabres’ lineup.
Also, the Americans have become a fun team to watch this season, with a record of 22-14-2 as of February 4th. Coming off a 5-2 win over the Charlotte Checkers, Peterka and Biro were on full display with a combined three points. Linus Weissbach also contributed two points (one goal).
Players like Krebs and Samuelsson will receive much-needed reps as they continue to hone their game during the break. And in doing so, they will help make the Americans that much more fun to watch.
If you’re looking watch some of the youngest, most exciting players in the Sabres’ organization continue to develop, tune in to watch the Americans face-off with the Toronto Marlies at 4pm on February 5th, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on the ninth. Odds are, when you see the Amerks in action, you will get excited for what the Sabres’ future holds.
(All statistics courtesy of Hockey-Reference)