Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Memories of Ryan Miller special for Sabres

BUFFALO – In all those years Tyler Ennis practiced against goalie Ryan Miller, the slick Sabres winger estimates he scored on the former Vezina Trophy winner, oh, about zero times.

“My best memory of Ryan is probably the fact that I don’t think I scored on him ever in the four years I was at practice,” Ennis said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center. “He’s an incredible goalie. Hopefully, I’ll have my best memory ... Read the full article

Sabres fall apart early, lose to Lightning

BUFFALO – Following a wretched first period Thursday in which the Sabres fell behind 3-0, coach Dan Bylsma, desperate for a spark, yanked goalie Linus Ullmark, a rookie whose fine performances had the upstart club gunning for its first three-game winning streak in 11 months.

“I don’t know how he’s going to handle it,” Bylsma said following the Sabres’ 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, “but I made it pretty clear it wasn’t ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jamie McGinn proud of brothers

BUFFALO – Growing up in Fergus, Ont., a community of almost 20,000 about two hours west of Toronto, the McGinn boys made everything into a competition.

Forget about hockey or lacrosse, the sports they played regularly. Sabres winger Jamie McGinn and his brothers, Tye, a Tampa Bay Lightning winger, and Brock, a Carolina Hurricanes winger, competed over trivial things like who had the best hair or even a Frisbee toss.

“I think it even started ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark earns start against Lightning

BUFFALO – If you dreamed up 10 or 15 goaltending scenarios for the Sabres before the season, rookie Linus Ullmark earning regular duty in November wouldn’t have been one, coach Dan Bylsma said.

But Ullmark, 22, thanks to an injury to starter Robin Lehner and his own impressive play, will start his third straight game tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning inside the First Niagara Center.

Ullmark, having undergone surgery on both hips in April, ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Brian Gionta and Zemgus Girgensons starting to showcase offensive skills

BUFFALO – Just over six minutes into the third period Sunday, Sabres captain Brian Gionta deftly backhanded the puck along the left boards through the neutral zone into Islanders territory. Center Zemgus Girgensons then barreled in, retrieving the pass in the circle before slickly feeding Matt Moulson for the tying goal.

For Girgensons, the nifty assist in the Sabres’ 2-1 victory against New York was his first this season and just his second point. For ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Dan Bylsma disappointed to see Connor McDavid injured

BUFFALO – Besides being a coach, the Sabres’ Dan Bylsma counts himself as a hockey fan.

So Oilers phenom Connor McDavid’s first meeting with Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby on Friday in Edmonton, one of the most anticipated matchups on the NHL schedule this season, was circled on Bylsma’s calendar.

Now, with McDavid sidelined “months” with a broken clavicle he suffered late Tuesday in the Oilers’ 4-2 win against Philadelphia, Bylsma, like most hockey fans, ... Read the full article

Rookie goalie Linus Ullmark impressing Sabres

BUFFALO – Three games, that’s it – just a blip in a marathon season. But in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately NHL, Linus Ullmark’s small body of work is enough to convince some the rookie should be the Sabres’ new starting goalie.

Following a so-so debut, Ullmark dazzled in his second straight start Sunday, stopping 29 shots in the Sabres’ 2-1 road win against the New York Islanders. On Friday, the prospect made 27 saves in a 3-1 ... Read the full article

Will Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark start Thursday?

BUFFALO – Just three games into his career, Linus Ullmark’s strong play has some observers already wondering if the Swede, 22, could be the Sabres’ goalie of the future and present.

Right now, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma won’t let himself think about that. He wouldn’t even say if Ullmark will make his third consecutive start Thursday against Tampa Bay.

Given Ullmark has won two straight nods and has a 2.03 goals against average and a ... Read the full article

Nick Deslauriers and Marcus Foligno thriving on Sabres’ No. 1 line

BUFFALO – These days, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma’s options are limited. His top two wingers, Tyler Ennis and Evander Kane, are injured. So under normal circumstances, Nick Deslauriers and Marcus Foligno wouldn’t be flanking No. 1 center Ryan O’Reilly.

The big bodies are known more for their grit than their goal scoring.

“You don’t see Deslauriers and Foligno and call it a first line,” coach Dan Bylsma said Saturday inside HarborCenter after the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Josh Gorges knows hit looks ugly; Ryan O’Reilly earns day off

BUFFALO – Some quick updates from HarborCenter, where the Sabres practiced today before catching a flight to New York for Sunday’s tilt against the Islanders:

– Defenseman Josh Gorges won’t face any supplemental discipline for hitting Philadelphia’s Matt Read head-first into the corner boards late Friday, according to the Buffalo News.

Gorges was given a five-minute boarding major and ejected from the Sabres’ 3-1 win.

“From a couple of angles it doesn’t look great,” Gorges ... Read the full article