April, 2012 - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres assign Foligno, Tropp to Rochester

BUFFALO – The Rochester Americans’ playoff push got a big boost Friday, as the Sabres assigned rookie wingers Marcus Foligno and Corey Tropp to their 11th-place AHL affiliate.

Foligno and Tropp had secured regular NHL roles recently, impressing during the Sabres’ run at the postseason, which ended with Thursday’s 2-1 loss in Philadelphia.

The Amerks, two points behind eighth-place Houston for the final Western Conference playoff spot, have five games remaining. They play tonight in ... Read the full article

Ruff hopes Sabres write their own special postseason story

BUFFALO – Having survived so long and stared down elimination so many times recently, a sense of destiny accompanies the Sabres’ unlikely charge toward the postseason. Six months and 80 games into the season, they’ve refused to die.

Lindy Ruff hopes the Sabres’ story gets to be told like all those other celebrated longshot playoff teams.

“There’s a lot of great stories in sports about teams making it the last day,” the coach said Wednesday ... Read the full article

Sabres mum on Myers’ injured foot

BUFFALO – Star Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers, who hurt his foot blocking a shot Friday, is wearing a walking boot and out at least the last two regular-season games.

Is the foot broken?

“He’s got a bad foot, yeah,” was all Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Wednesday after practice inside the First Niagara Center.

Myers didn’t make the trip to Philadelphia for tonight’s contest against the Flyers.

When asked if Myers could return if the ... Read the full article

Wild scramble helps Sabres rally past Leafs, stay in playoff chase

BUFFALO – Nine seconds, an eternity for a goal-mouth scramble, elapsed from Sabres rookie Marcus Foligno’s initial run at the net to Jordan Leopold’s final poke past Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Ben Scrivens on Tuesday inside a roaring First Niagara Center.

In these parts, if the Sabres win the final two regular-season contests, get some help and secure that unlikely playoff berth, the tying goal with 1:53 left in their wild 6-5 overtime triumph could ... Read the full article

Sabres expect more goals from Gerbe

BUFFALO – The defensive style winger Nathan Gerbe has embraced and played so well this season isn’t quite a full-fledged checking role. No way. The Sabres still expect Gerbe to score, something he’s done only six times this season in 60 games.

Gerbe, who returned from a muscle pull Tuesday that sidelined him nine games, often shadows and stymies the opposition’s top scorers. But that shouldn’t hinder his offense, said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who’s ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Catenacci, Knapp to entry-level deals

BUFFALO – The Sabres have signed forward Daniel Catenacci and goalie Connor Knapp to entry-level contracts beginning next season. Both will report to Rochester on amateur tryouts.

The 19-year-old Catenacci, the 77^th overall pick in 2011, tallied 33 goals and 72 points in 67 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s Owen Sound Attack this season.

Catenacci, 5-foot-9 and 199 pounds, has 69 goals, 173 points and 299 penalty minutes in 199 career OHL contests.... Read the full article

Bad weekend might doom Sabres’ playoff hopes

BUFFALO – In less than 24 hours, the Sabres morphed from a postseason frontrunner to a likely bystander. Consecutive regulations losses can do that. An incredible nine-week run up the Eastern Conference possibly fell apart with one bad weekend.

Nonetheless, the ninth-place Sabres haven’t been eliminated yet. They still possess hope.

Three games remain, starting with tonight’s huge home finale against the hapless Maple Leafs, who downed them 4-3 on Saturday in Toronto.

The Sabres ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Foligno named NHL’s top rookie for March

BUFFALO – Forget about rookies, few established stars could match Marcus Foligno’s impact during a standout March.

The Sabres winger dazzled, compiling six goals, 11 points and gaudy plus-10 rating in 11 games beside Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford.

That dynamic output earned the 20-year-old the NHL’s Rookie of the Month.

“It’s amazing what has happened this month, not just for myself but the run the team’s gone on,” Foligno said Monday inside the First ... Read the full article

Loss to hapless Leafs hurts Sabres’ postseason hopes

TORONTO – This embarrassing Buffalo Sabres’ loss feels like a killer, one that could ultimately extinguish the playoffs hopes that seemed so promising less than two days ago.

Against the reeling, 14^th-place Maple Leafs – a team that had dropped 11 consecutive games inside the Air Canada Centre and began Saturday on an awful 5-17-3 run – the Sabres fell 4-3 in their arch rival’s first home win since Feb. 6.

Ouch. If ... Read the full article

Leafs’ season crumbled quickly

TORONTO – By the third period of the hapless Maple Leafs’ 11^th consecutive home loss Thursday, the remaining fans inside the Air Canada Centre – normally some of the NHL’s quietest and most corporate patrons – finally had enough.

Watching the Philadelphia Flyers throttle their Leafs 7-1 put the self-proclaimed “Center of the Hockey Universe” in a baseball mood.

“Let’s go Blue Jays” fans chanted three times, getting pretty loud by the end.

Yikes!... Read the full article