Lambert - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Auston Matthews knows Buffalo won’t always be so welcoming

BUFFALO – This city, the site of the 2016 NHL Scouting Combine and Draft, will always hold a special place in Auston Matthews’ heart.

After the combine concludes today, hockey’s biggest prospect will return in three weeks, and barring a seismic, unexpected turn of events, the Toronto Maple Leafs will select Matthews No. 1 overall June 24 inside the First Niagara Center.

The pinnacle of his young career will always be tied to Buffalo.

The ... Read the full article

Reconnecting with Dan Bylsma helped lead Dan Lambert to Amerks

ROCHESTER – Dan Lambert’s relationship with Buffalo Sabres coach Dan Bylsma started in the mid-1990s, during their playing days with the Long Beach Ice Dogs, a team in the now-defunct International Hockey League.

Lambert was a high-scoring defenseman and the Ice Dogs’ captain. Bylsma, meanwhile, would occasionally be sent down from the parent Los Angeles Kings.

While the two weren’t close, Lambert said they shared “a mutual respect for one another.”

“Were we best friends? ... Read the full article

Sabres name Dan Lambert Amerks coach; Randy Cunneyworth reassigned

Randy Cunneyworth’s return to the Rochester Americans’ bench lasted only one season, as the parent Buffalo Sabres have reassigned the veteran coach to a player development position and named Dan Lambert his replacement, the team announced today.

Lambert, 46, is the 31^st coach in the AHL club’s history. The former NHL defenseman spent last season as an assistant coach on Dan Bylsma’s staff in Buffalo.

“We had a plan in place going into last ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Matt Moulson buying into new work plan

BUFFALO – At this point, five goals and 64 games into Sabres winger Matt Moulson’s miserable season, all the work he’s putting in and the revamped training regimen he has been following is about seeing results next season.

Yes, according to general manager Tim Murray, who ripped Moulson on the radio Thursday, and coach Dan Bylsma, the three-time 30-goal scorer is still in the Sabres’ plans. They talk about the veteran, 32, returning for ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Dan Bylsma used year away from coaching wisely

BUFFALO – In his season out of the NHL, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma occasionally got lost and took some time away from the game that had consumed his adult life.

He went fishing and hunting, an activity he could never enjoy, and spent more time with his family. There were, of course, hockey activities, too, like some guest coaching and analyst work.

But Bylsma, 45, mostly spent the year studying the league closely. With no ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Devante Stephens comfortable in Buffalo

BUFFALO – Familiarity and comfort surrounded Sabres defense prospect Devante Stephens throughout development camp last week.

New Sabres assistant Dan Lambert, Stephens’ junior coach with the Kelowna Rockets, was on the ice putting the youngsters through drills. Meanwhile, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma, who had just hired Lambert, his friend, was up in the stands watching.

Bylsma already knew Stephens well, having spent almost a week last season helping out Lambert, a former teammate. During ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Dan Bylsma impressed by goalie coach Andrew Allen

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Dan Bylsma had no previous connection to Andrew Allen before hiring the 38-year-old as goalie coach this week.

“Really word of mouth and had some great recommendations from people in Chicago,” Bylsma said Friday inside the First Niagara Center. “So I got to know him in the last week or 10 days and got him in here a little bit earlier this week.”

Allen, a former pro goalie, spent the last ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Jack Eichel chooses No. 15; Andrew Allen hired as goalie coach

BUFFALO – Jack Eichel’s not thinking too far ahead. But “if the opportunity presented itself to make the team” next season, he plans to wear No. 15.

Of course, minutes after he mentioned his first NHL number Friday morning, the Sabres tweeted they would be a selling a limited number of Eichel jerseys hours later at the First Niagara Center prior to the development camp scrimmage.

Before the gates even opened, the line stretched from ... Read the full article

Sabres hire Andrew Allen as goalie coach

BUFFALO – The Sabres completed their NHL coaching staff this morning, announcing they have hired Andrew Allen as goalie coach.

The 38-year-old Allen spent the last four seasons as the Chicago Blackhawks’ developmental goaltending coach, overseeing the netminders with the AHL Rockford IceHogs. Allen spent three seasons as St. Lawrence University’s goalie coach and also coached in Japan before joining the Blackhawks.

He played pro hockey for five seasons, spending time in the AHL and ... Read the full article

Sabres hire Dan Lambert as assistant coach

BUFFALO – When development camp began Monday, there was an unfamiliar face on the ice putting the Sabres prospects through drills inside the First Niagara Center.

Who was it?

During the first session, the Sabres officially announced Dan Lambert’s hire as the third assistant on coach Dan Bylsma’s staff.

The 45-year-old Lambert coached the Kelowna Rockets last year, leading the junior club to a Western Hockey League championship and a Memorial Cup appearance in his ... Read the full article