Beaulieu - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Jack Eichel out next two games, will be reevaluated next week

BUFFALO – An upper-body injury will sideline Sabres captain Jack Eichel at least two games, coach Phil Housley said this morning.

The Sabres’ leading scoring will miss tonight’s contest against the Florida Panthers at KeyBank Center and Saturday’s road tilt versus the Boston Bruins.

Eichel, who earned a spot in the NHL All-Star Game on Wednesday, will be reevaluated early next week, Housley said.

“It’s very encouraging,” Housley said of the news. “Obviously, Jack’s been ... Read the full article

Other Sabres must step up with Jack Eichel injured

BUFFALO – Thanks to center Jack Eichel’s upper-body injury, Sabres coach Phil Housley leaned on Evan Rodrigues heavily throughout Monday’s 3-1 loss, skating him a career-high 22 minutes, seven seconds.

Rodrigues, 25, had never even cracked the 20-minute mark in his previous 113 NHL outings.

Expect Rodrigues to see plenty of action again tonight against the Florida Panthers inside KeyBank Center.

Eichel, who skated only four shifts before leaving Monday’s tilt against the New York ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel’s injury gives Evan Rodrigues chance on Sabres’ top line

Rodrigues, 25, had never even cracked the 20-minute mark in his previous 113 NHL outings.

Expect Rodrigues to see plenty of action again Thursday against the Florida Panthers.

Eichel, who skated only four shifts before leaving Monday’s tilt against the New York Islanders, did ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Scott Wilson nearing return from broken ankle

BUFFALO – Scott Wilson couldn’t even walk yet. Still, after breaking his right ankle, the Sabres winger wanted to enjoy some hockey-related activities.

So instead of staying idle, at about the four-week mark of his recovery, Wilson, 26, started going on the ice and shooting pucks … from a chair.

“As basic as you could think of it, that’s pretty much what it was,” Wilson said prior to Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Boston ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zemgus Girgensons week-to-week; Lawrence Pilut to be scratched

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Zemgus Girgensons, a steady presence on the fourth line this season, is sidelined week-to-week with an upper-body injury, coach Phil Housley said.

Girgensons, 24, has formed a strong duo beside center Johan Larsson, giving the Sabres some valuable minutes.

“Zemgus has done a terrific job,” Housley said this morning inside KeyBank Center. “I think with Larsson and him together, they have a unique chemistry, and whoever we put down there ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Randy Carlyle remembers Phil Housley’s talents

BUFFALO – Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle still remembers a skinny rookie named Phil Housley entering the NHL fresh out of high school in 1982.

“I can remember Phil coming here as an 18-year-old defenseman and looking and saying, ‘Holy crow, how’s this kid going to last?’”

Well, Housley lasted a long time, playing 21 seasons, including eight with the Sabres, in what would be a Hall of Fame career.

But 36 years ago, ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Brendan Guhle returns to NHL confident

BUFFALO – During the second intermission Saturday in Cleveland, defenseman Brendan Guhle was informed the Sabres needed his services the next day more than 600 miles away in Boston.

So instead of finishing the Rochester Americans’ 2-1 victory against the Monsters, Guhle, who scored earlier in the game, spent all of the third period and overtime watching from the bench.

“It was pretty weird,” Guhle said prior to Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers ... Read the full article

Sabres defensemen Brendan Guhle, Matt Hunwick to make season debuts

Buffalo Sabres defensemen Brendan Guhle and Matt Hunwick will make their season debuts in this afternoon’s tilt against the Bruins, coach Phil Housley told reporters in Boston.

With defenseman Nathan Beaulieu day-to-day with an upper-body injury, according to Housley, the Sabres recalled Guhle, 21, from the Rochester Americans this afternoon.

To make room, the Sabres placed defenseman Lawrence Pilut (lower body) on injured reserve.

Hunwick, meanwhile, just completed an AHL conditioning stint after suffering a ... Read the full article

Goalie Carter Hutton’s puck-handling skills key asset for Sabres

BUFFALO – As soon as Carter Hutton grabbed the puck, the entire Sabres bench stood up. His teammates knew their goalie was eyeing the empty net about 175 feet away.

And for an oh-so-brief second, it appeared Hutton would shoot it down the ice and cap off Thursday’s victory in the craziest of fashions by scoring his first NHL goal.

“My first thought was he was 100 percent going to get it,” winger Evan Rodrigues ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Sam Reinhart showcasing scoring prowess around net

BUFFALO – When the puck slid back to the point late in Tuesday’s second period, Sabres winger Sam Reinhart moved from the left circle into the slot and began jockeying for position with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Ron Hainsey.

As defensemen Nathan Beaulieu and Rasmus Ristolainen passed the puck to each other, Reinhart kept battling Hainsey, moving from one side to the other.

Finally, with Reinhart still in the slot and winger Jeff Skinner behind ... Read the full article