Bogosian - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Former Sabres Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford happy with Jets

BUFFALO – Drew Stafford called it a “healthy separation.” The Winnipeg Jets winger said he has no ill will toward anyone here. He enjoyed his nine-year Sabres career.

As a struggling veteran months away from free agency last year, Stafford knew the rebuilding Sabres would trade him. Sure enough, Stafford, 30, was dealt with defenseman Tyler Myers on Feb. 11, 2015 in the blockbuster that brought defenseman Zach Bogosian and winger Evander Kane to the ... Read the full article

Drew Stafford happy with Jets, has fond Sabres memories

BUFFALO – Drew Stafford called it a “healthy separation.” The Winnipeg Jets winger said he has no ill will toward anyone here. He enjoyed his nine-year Sabres career.

As a struggling veteran months away from free agency last year, Stafford knew the rebuilding Sabres would trade him. Sure enough, Stafford, 30, was dealt Feb. 11, 2015 in the blockbuster that brought defenseman Zach Bogosian and winger Evander Kane to the Sabres.

“I was kind of ... Read the full article

Former Sabres star Tyler Myers won’t have Buffalo homecoming

BUFFALO – Tyler Myers’ first game back here will have to wait until another season. The Winnipeg Jets defenseman underwent knee surgery Thursday and will miss the rest of the year.

The Jets make their yearly visit to the First Niagara Center on Saturday afternoon.

After Myers’ knee is stabilized and the season ends, he will undergo major hip surgery that requires 16 to 20 weeks of recovery, according to the Winnipeg Free Press.

“He ... Read the full article

Sam Reinhart hits 20-goal mark in Sabres’ win over Senators

BUFFALO – The significance should be noted. For the first time in 41 years and only the third time in franchise history, two Sabres rookies – Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart – have scored 20 goals.

The 20-goal mark has long been a standard in hockey. In this low-scoring era, the milestone has an increased importance.

Just months into their NHL careers, the youngsters drafted second overall and charged with leading the Sabres back to ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zach Bogosian playing aggressively again

BUFFALO – The burst might be the surest sign Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian has recaptured his confident, slick style following months of mostly conservative play.

In recent weeks, inevitably a few times a game, Bogosian will grab the puck, and, like few players can, start zooming around the ice.

Bogosian, 25, has been playing his best and most aggressive hockey this season, logging big minutes and piling up points.

“I’ve been feeling confident the last ... Read the full article

Sabres lose cool in overtime loss to Canadiens

BUFFALO – Thirty minutes before the Sabres’ feisty 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, goalies Robin Lehner and Ben Scrivens chatted amicably at center ice during pregame warm-ups.

But by about 9 p.m., as chaos enveloped his crease at the end of a penalty-filled second period, the fiery Sabres goalie wanted to see Scrivens, someone he called “a good guy off the ice,” again.

Seconds after Montreal’s Michael McCarron punched Lehner after ... Read the full article

Sabres want to keep building identity

BUFFALO – Right away, five months ago, the Sabres passed the eye test. Following two wretched seasons, the rebuilt club immediately looked like, well, a real team again.

While this campaign has still been rough – they rank seventh in the Atlantic Division and 26^th overall – the Sabres believe they’ve started creating a strong identity they can carry into the future.

The new-look team (27-33-9) has morphed back into a competitive outfit in ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly skates for first time since injury

BUFFALO – If Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly had his way, he might’ve stayed out for hours. But the rink inside HarborCenter was only available until 1:30 p.m., so the NHL All-Star’s first skate since hurting his right foot three weeks ago ended a little early.

“Kind of kicked off, I guess,” O’Reilly said after walking back to the First Niagara Center.

O’Reilly, who was joined by defenseman Cody Franson, skated at least 90 minutes.

O’Reilly, ... Read the full article

Connor McDavid steals show in Oilers’ overtime win against Sabres

BUFFALO – As much as Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid tried to downplay the hype, say that Tuesday’s first-ever meeting between the top two picks was really about their teams, in the end, the rookies ended up being the talk of the Edmonton Oilers’ 2-1 overtime triumph against the Sabres.

The game almost played out like it had been scripted, with McDavid, the phenom Sabres fans coveted before the Oilers won the NHL Draft ... Read the full article

Sabres know Ryan O’Reilly’s loss will hurt

BUFFALO – For about 20 minutes, the Sabres responded to the loss of No. 1 center Ryan O’Reilly, their most versatile and important asset, by playing one of their best first periods in weeks.

But by the second period of Sunday afternoon’s 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, O’Reilly’s absence became very evident as the Sabres began chasing the game and fell behind.

“He’s your No. 1 guy, and that’s something … you can’t ... Read the full article