Pegulas purchase NWHL franchise

After partnering with an NHL club three months ago, the National Women’s Hockey League broke historic ground again Thursday.

The defending champion Buffalo Beauts were purchased by Pegula Sports and Entertainment Group and will be the first NWHL franchise to be owned and operated by outside owners. PSE, headed by Terry and Kim Pegula, owns each other Buffalo area sports franchise, including the NHL’s Sabres, NFL’s Bills and National Lacrosse League’s Bandits.

“This is an unbelievable step for not only the women on the Beauts and the league, but for women’s sports,” NWHL commissioner Dani Rylan said. “I couldn’t be more excited to bring in such an unbelievable ownership group and be welcomed into the PSE family.”

The Beauts are one of the original four members of the NWHL and, for the past three seasons, it has played its games at Buffalo’s HarborCenter, which the Pegulas operate. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

The Pegula group is worth more than $1 billion across its sports franchises.

More Sabres

Buffalo assigned prospect forward Alexander Nylander to play for Sweden in the upcoming World Junior hockey championship. Nylander was the Sabres’ firstround pick in the 2016 NHL draft and will be appearing in his third consecutive junior championship, which opens Tuesday in Buffalo. Nylander led Sweden in scoring in the previous two tournaments.is addition provides Sweden a last-minute boost in talent to an already wellstocked roster. Sweden’s lineup already includes defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who is considered among the top-rated prospects eligible for NHL draft in June.

Ducks

Defenseman Hampus Lindholm’s sixth goal of the season completed his hat trick at 4:03 of overtime Thursday night as visiting Anaheim rallied past the New York Islanders to take a 5-4 win. The Ducks road trip continues Saturday night against the Penguins.