WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Evander Kane has never played in a playoff game. ©2018, Hickling Images, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Throughout a miserable season, winger Evander Kane was often the Sabres’ best asset, scoring goals on a hapless team starved for offense. To general manager Jason Botterill, the nine-year veteran is a “premium” player.
So why did Botterill trade Kane to the San Jose Sharks shortly before Monday’s 3 p.m. deadline for two conditional draft picks – one could become a first-rounder, although that seems unlikely – and a marginal prospect?... Read the full article
Danny O’Regan played at Boston University. ©2018, Hickling Images, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – As a junior at Boston University in 2014-15, forward Danny O’Regan enjoyed a monster season, scoring 23 goals and 50 points in 41 games as the Terriers came within a whisker of a national title.
You might’ve heard of his linemates that year: Jack Eichel and Evan Rodrigues, two current Sabres. With O’Regan at left wing, they formed perhaps the NCAA’s most lethal trio.... Read the full article
Evander Kane has scored 20 goals this season. ©2018, Hickling Images, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres this afternoon traded winger Evander Kane to the San Jose Sharks, according to multiple reports.
The Sharks sent the Sabres a conditional first-round pick, a conditional fourth-rounder and center prospect Danny O’Regan, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Stay tuned for more details. Sabres general manager Jason Botterill swung the deal about 45 minutes before the 3 p.m. trade deadline. O’Regan, 24, is a Boston University product with 22 games of ... Read the full article
Benoit Pouliot scores his first-period goal aganst Boston goalie Anton Khudobin on Sunday afternoon. ©2018, Hickling Images, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Kyle Okposo is a self-proclaimed “hockey nerd,” so the Sabres winger plans to follow today’s trade activity closely until the 3 p.m. deadline.
“I’ll be probably looking at stuff most of the day,” Okposo said following Sunday afternoon’s 4-1 win against the Boston Bruins before 18,522 fans inside KeyBank Center. “It’s an exciting day for the league.”
While deadline day is always highly anticipated by fans, most players dread it. The hours leading ... Read the full article
Evander Kane also sat out Saturday’s game. ©2018, Hickling Images, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – As expected, Sabres winger Evander Kane, who will almost certainly be traded before Monday’s 3 pm deadline, will sit out this afternoon’s tilt against the Boston Bruins.
The Sabres, of course, don’t want to risk injury to their most valuable trade asset. Kane also was scratched for Saturday’s 5-1 loss in Washington.
Goalie Chad Johnson will start, so does that mean the Sabres have something brewing with starting netminder Robin Lehner, ... Read the full article
Evander Kane will almost certainly be traded. ©2018, Hickling Images, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Jason Botterill has never experienced a trade deadline like this one. Prior to joining the Sabres, the rookie general manager spent 10 seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ front office, winning three Stanley Cups.
The Penguins contended for the Cup every season of Botterill’s tenure, meaning they loaded up for a long playoff run, dealing prospects and draft picks for talent that could help them immediately.... Read the full article
Evander Kane (9) tries to squeeze through Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (8) and Matt Niskanen on Monday afternoon. ©2018, Hickling Images, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – With 26 seconds left in Monday afternoon’s 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals and the Sabres readying for one last rush with goalie Chad Johnson pulled, Rasmus Ristolainen tried leaving a drop pass for Evan Rodrigues.
Ristolainen, however, fanned and Rodrigues overskated the puck, allowing Evgeny Kuznetsov to score an easy empty-net goal.
With the Sabres’ third straight loss cemented, Ristolainen lost his cool, swinging his stick into the corner boards – it ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo (21) skates away from Calgary’s Troy Brouwer last season. ©2018, Hickling Images, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Late in Thursday’s 3-2 overtime loss, Sabres defenseman Casey Nelson stymied a rush and quickly dished the puck up to winger Kyle Okposo.
Okposo then zoomed through the neutral zone and into the high slot when he noticed center Evan Rodrigues streaking down the right wing.
“I saw that their D was kind of shading over toward (Evander Kane), so I just tried to take the middle,” Okposo explained Friday. “I was ... Read the full article
Chad Johnson has zero home wins this season. ©2018, Hickling Images, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the NHL’s top team, you figure the Sabres would start No. 1 goalie Robin Lehner, who has played 42 times this season.
But Lehner, fresh off Sunday’s 5-4 home loss to Colorado, will sit tonight for backup Chad Johnson.
Why start Johnson, who has just three wins and zero at home?... Read the full article
Ryan O’Reilly stepped up in Jack Eichel’s absence. ©2018, Hickling Images, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres can soften Jack Eichel’s loss, of course, if some of their other top players – think Ryan O’Reilly and Rasmus Ristolainen – step up and seize additional opportunities in his absence.
If they don’t, what could happen without Eichel, their most dynamic presence and leading scorer? They won only 16 of their first 55 games with Eichel, who’s sidelined indefinitely after suffering a high right ankle sprain Saturday.... Read the full article
