Arizona Coyotes - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres recall goalie Andrey Makarov from Amerks

The Buffalo Sabres recalled goalie Andrey Makarov from Rochester this afternoon, hours before their road game against the Arizona Coyotes.

The 21-year-old Russian is 15-17-3 with a 2.98 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage in 37 games with the AHL Americans.

Sabres goalie Matt Hackett, who relieved Anders Lindback in Saturday’s 5-3 loss in Colorado, has been banged up and feeling sore after games. It’s unclear if Hackett’s injured.

Makarov has been recalled before ... Read the full article

Sabres fans revel in loss, cheer for Coyotes

BUFFALO – Mike Weber spoke passionately, like a man who felt jilted. The gritty defenseman had just experienced perhaps the oddest game of his career, the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes.

The payoff, the prize for all the “suffering” for two seasons had been laid in front of Sabres fans Thursday, creating a bizarre scene inside the First Niagara Center that will likely never be repeated.

A loss to the 29^th... Read the full article

Sabres’ Mikhail Grigorenko grateful for Ted Nolan’s honesty

BUFFALO – Sabres center Mikhail Grigorenko appreciates coach Ted Nolan’s honesty and tough love. The 20-year-old Russian sees it as a sign of support.

“I know everyone wants me to succeed in this organization,” Grigorenko said Thursday prior to the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes inside the First Niagara Center. “Everyone has their ways. Teddy, he thinks being hard on me is only going to help me.”

Nolan ripped Grigorenko following his ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Matt Hackett to start against Coyotes

BUFFALO – Naturally, starting Matt Hackett, a goalie with a weak .893 save percentage, over Anders Lindback, who has a gaudy .926 save percentage, for tonight’s McEichel showdown against the Arizona Coyotes might raise a few eyebrows.

But Sabres coach Ted Nolan has plenty of reasons to start Hackett, who made 40 saves in Saturday’s 3-0 loss in Nashville. The 25-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t play five more games.... Read the full article

Ted Nolan believes Buffalo wants Sabres to win

BUFFALO – Deep down, Sabres coach Ted Nolan probably knows the scene inside the First Niagara Center could get ugly for tonight’s anticipated matchup with the Arizona Coyotes, a contest between the NHL’s two worst teams.

With a prized, potentially franchise-changing prospect – either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel – essentially guaranteed with a loss, fans could do the unthinkable – root against the 30^th-place Sabres, who trail Arizona by five points with ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Matt Hackett ready for start, must deal with soreness

BUFFALO – Almost a year later, Matt Hackett hasn’t fully recovered from his torn right ACL. The goalie still experiences soreness after games, so the Sabres want him to rest.

The 25-year-old performed strongly in Saturday’s 3-0 loss in Nashville, making 40 saves. But Sabres coach Ted Nolan started Anders Lindback on Monday in Dallas.

Hackett will likely start tonight’s contest against the Arizona Coyotes, his fourth nod this season.

“He fought through a long ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ted Nolan: ‘If somebody wants to finish last, good for them’

BUFFALO – Oh, Ted Nolan knows. The coach likely understands the Sabres’ rabid fan base will root against them throughout Thursday’s highly anticipated tilt against the Arizona Coyotes. A loss would almost guarantee the Sabres either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel in June.

Nolan can’t say much, however.

“I can’t control what other people think and what other people do,” Nolan said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center. “The only thing I know is ... Read the full article

Coyotes hire former Sabres coach Ron Rolston as pro scout

Former Buffalo Sabres coach Ron Rolston has resurfaced as a pro scout in Arizona, where Darcy Regier serves as the Coyotes’ senior vice president and assistant general manager.

Regier was fired as Sabres GM with Rolston on Nov. 13. Regier hired Rolston to coach Buffalo in 2013.

Rolston hasn’t coached or been heard from much since leaving the Sabres. He turned up in Tampa Bay briefly last season, apparently to do some observing for Lightning ... Read the full article

Photo: Darcy Regier scouting for Coyotes

After the Buffalo Sabres fired Darcy Regier in November, the former general manager laid low. He never gave a single interview. No one saw him around town.

Now, a month after getting hired as a senior vice president and Don Maloney’s assistant general manager in Arizona, Regier’s visible again. He even looks a little different!

Here’s Regier scouting junior prospects for the Coyotes with Maloney earlier this week in Montreal. Maloney’s giving him an, ... Read the full article

Former Sabres GM Darcy Regier hired as senior VP and assistant GM with Coyotes

Welcome back to the NHL, Darcy Regier.

The former Buffalo Sabres general manager has been hired as the senior vice president and assistant GM of the Arizona Coyotes. The 58-year-old hadn’t been heard from since the Sabres fired him after a wretched 4-15-1 start in November.

“Thrilled to bring him on,” GM Don Maloney said in an interview with the team. “I think he’s a great resource for the organization, for me. He’s ... Read the full article