Happy Holidays
BUFFALO – With just under seven minutes left in Thursday’s 4-3 win, Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe made eye contact with winger Conor Sheary and took off for the left circle.
As Sheary skated back to the right point, he dished the puck through traffic to a streaking McCabe, who corralled the pass and quickly fed winger Sam Reinhart for the tying goal against the Montreal Canadiens.
The aggressiveness McCabe, 25, showcased on that play ... Read the full article
CLINTON – This village of about 1,900 has some hockey history, you know.
In the late 1950s and 1960s, long before Tuesday’s Kraft Hockeyville NHL preseason tilt between the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets, the 2,000-seat Clinton Arena housed a pro team in the Eastern Hockey League called the Clinton Comets.
Eddie Giacomin, a Hall of Fame goalie, played for the Comets prior to his days starring for the New York Rangers.... Read the full article
CLINTON – When center Casey Mittelstadt told some of his teammates skating this morning inside tiny Clinton Arena this felt like high school, he said they starting making fun of him.
But Mittelstadt, 19, is less than two years removed from playing high school hockey. Memories of skating in old rinks like the 65-year-old barn where the Sabres will face the Columbus Blue Jackets in tonight are fresh.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Twenty years ago, diminutive players like Brian Gionta – the ones teams list at, say, 5-foot-9 but are clearly much smaller – rarely received a chance in the NHL.
Sure, once in a while an undersized talent would break through. But for the most part, the league coveted size.
Then in the early 2000s, a few small forwards – Gionta, Daniel Briere and Martin St. Louis – started seizing their chances and morphing ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Instead of talking about Johan Larsson’s rough season, Sabres coach Phil Housley chose to praise the Swedish center for the transformations he has made.
Larsson struggled mightily in 2017-18, enduring his worst NHL campaign. How bad was he? His wretched minus-30 was the fourth-worst rating among NHL forwards. He scored two of his career-low four goals into empty nets.
But Larsson, 26, accepted Housley and general manager Jason Botterill’s challenge to change ... Read the full article
The NHL has chosen the Buffalo Sabres – a last-place team that will boast some notable talent next season – to play in the annual the Hockeyville preseason game, this time against the Columbus Blue Jackets Sept. 25 in Clinton.
The Central New York town won the right to host an exhibition contest and $150,000 in rink upgrades for Clinton Arena after compiling the most votes online.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark experienced the thrill of earning an NHL victory long before making a career-high 44 saves in Thursday’s 3-1 triumph against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Ullmark won eight of his 20 appearances as a rookie two season ago, often showcasing the talents of a future No. 1 netminder.
But with Robin Lehner entrenched as the Sabres’ starter, Ullmark, 24, has spent two seasons developing in the AHL, where he ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Two years ago, the NHL revamped its traditional All-Star Game, transforming the stale affair into a slick three-on-three tournament featuring six divisional squads.
The league also added a $1 million incentive for the winning team, a prize center Jack Eichel, the Sabres’ lone All-Star, said “brings a little more energy to the event.”... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Two years ago, the NHL revamped its traditional All-Star Game, transforming the stale affair into a slick three-on-three tournament featuring six divisional squads.
The league also added a $1 million incentive for the winning team, a prize center Jack Eichel, the Sabres’ lone All-Star, said “brings a little more energy to the event.”... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Why not try something different, right? The reeling Sabres have lost five straight games and 33 of their 43 outings this season.
Starting goalie Linus Ullmark tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets is worth a try.
Sabres coach Phil Housley, who criticized his goaltending in Tuesday’s 7-4 loss to Winnipeg, said Ullmark will receive his first NHL nod since last season’s finale.
