April Edition
ROCHESTER – With the Americans about to suffer a devastating loss that would drop them into fourth place, coach Chris Taylor tabbed center Colin Blackwell for a crucial offensive zone faceoff.
Blackwell, 25, has been the Amerks’ unsung hero for more than a month, quietly piling up points and morphing into the AHL club’s late-season MVP.
In critical times, Taylor enjoys utilizing Blackwell, a Harvard graduate who had trouble finding work this season.... Read the full article
ROCHESTER – After years of battling hip injuries, Buffalo Sabres prospect Sean Malone enjoyed a healthy senior season a year ago, helping Harvard roar to the semifinal of the NCAA Tournament.
On April 8, two days after Malone’s college career ended, he debuted with the Sabres just hours after signing his entry-level contract. In July, the West Seneca native participated in his first Sabres development camp since 2013.
Then when rookie camp began in September, ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – After Jake McCabe practiced for the first time in 11 days this morning, the Sabres defenseman pronounced himself ready to play in Thursday’s season opener.
While Phil Housley had said McCabe was week-to-week with an upper-body injury, the coach sounded optimistic in recent days he would be ready for the regular season. McCabe was hurt late in an exhibition loss Sept. 22 in Toronto.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The Sabres trimmed their roster by four today, sending wingers Justin Bailey, Nick Deslauriers and defenseman Taylor Fedun to the AHL and releasing defenseman Cody Goloubef from his tryout.
Deslauriers and Fedun must clear waivers before reporting to the Rochester Americans. The Sabres scratched all four players for Friday’s 3-1 home loss to the New York Islanders, the preseason finale.
The Sabres have 27 players – 16 forwards, nine defensemen and two ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The Sabres could start the regular season without two regulars, center Evan Rodrigues and defenseman Jake McCabe.
Rodrigues suffered a hand injury in Friday’s 3-0 loss in Toronto when Maple Leafs forward Andreas Borgman crunched him into boards, Sabres coach Phil Housley said. He had no timetable for a return.
“That’s as much as I know right now,” Housley said of the injury today following practice inside HarborCenter.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Center Ryan O’Reilly, the Sabres’ most versatile presence on the ice and their most accountable voice off it, certainly makes a fine candidate for the Sabres’ vacant captaincy.
Coach Phil Housley said Thursday he’s in no hurry to name a captain, meaning the Sabres might not have someone wearing the ‘C’ permanently for a few weeks or even later.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Center Ryan O’Reilly, the Sabres’ most versatile presence on the ice and their most accountable voice off it, certainly makes a fine candidate for the Sabres’ vacant captaincy.
Coach Phil Housley said Thursday he’s in no hurry to name a captain, meaning the Sabres might not have someone wearing the ‘C’ permanently for a few weeks or even later.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – As a Harvard graduate, Sabres prospect Colin Blackwell hears it all the time.
“Especially when you don’t have a job come Sept. 1,” the center said Saturday prior to registering an assist in the Sabres’ entertaining 7-4 win against the Boston Bruins in the Prospects Challenge.
Blackwell, 24, is often encouraged to look for work outside of hockey. He studied government and physiology at the prestigious university.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – By March, after seven weeks of regular duty, Sabres winger Justin Bailey said he started getting used to the NHL lifestyle.
Thanks to another torrid scoring stretch in the minors, Bailey traded bus travel and his AHL salary for chartered airplanes and a paycheck almost 10 times larger.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Before Sabres prospect Sean Malone knew it, his short taste of the NHL, the finishing touch on his whirlwind season, was over.
On April 6, the West Seneca native played his 115th and final game with Harvard, a 2-1 loss to Minnesota Duluth in the semifinal of the NCAA Tournament. Two days later, Malone debuted with the Sabres, skating 12 minutes, 12 seconds in their 3-0 road loss to the Florida Panthers.... Read the full article
