Nilsson - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly out against Flames; Goalie Robin Lehner to start

BUFFALO – If the Sabres were participating in the playoffs right now, then, yes, Ryan O’Reilly would be playing. But the center wants to be smart handling his recovery from an oblique injury.

That means O’Reilly, who skated with his teammates this morning, will miss his fifth straight game tonight against the Calgary Flames.

“If it was the playoffs, it would be a different situation,” a sweaty O’Reilly said this morning after leaving the KeyBank ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Anders Nilsson stars in shootout win over Penguins

BUFFALO – In just five games with the Sabres, goalie Anders Nilsson has already earned the kind of confidence from his coach that often takes years to develop.

Instead of using No. 1 goalie Robin Lehner against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dan Bylsma tabbed Nilsson, his backup, to play against the defending Stanley Cup champions on Saturday inside KeyBank Center, a tilt the Sabres won 2-1 in a shootout.

The Swede has impressed this season, ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Anders Nilsson to start against Penguins

BUFFALO – Toward the end of the morning skate, backup goalie Anders Nilsson, not Robin Lehner, started skating to the Sabres bench.

Would Sabres coach Dan Bylsma really start his backup against the Pittsburgh Penguins over Lehner, his starter who has played 13 of the first 17 games?

After fiddling with his sticks at the bench for a few moments – it almost seemed like Nilsson was teasing everyone trying to see if he ... Read the full article

Sabres’ offense struggling to score again

BUFFALO – With a slew of established, high-priced forwards and two talented youngsters poised to break out following terrific rookie seasons, the days of the Sabres owning one of the NHL’s worst offenses appeared to be over.

But 15 games into another tough season, the Sabres have scored only 29 goals, a paltry 1.93 a contest, the league’s worst figure entering tonight’s road tilt against the St. Louis Blues.

The Sabres have scored two or ... Read the full article

Sabres waste goalie Anders Nilsson’s effort, fall to Devils in OT

BUFFALO – The Sabres have lost a lot of games in the past three-plus seasons – 176, to be exact – so they’ve experienced about every kind of defeat imaginable.

So, yes, an overtime penalty shot has victimized them.

But a high-scoring forward scored that goal on the road. How about a defenseman with 37 goals in 11 seasons doing that on your home ice?

That happened in Friday’s 2-1 loss to the New Jersey ... Read the full article

Sabres recall Justin Falk for injured Dmitry Kulikov; Jack Eichel skating

BUFFALO – Down one day, up the next. Repeat for six months. For the last three seasons, Sabres newcomer Justin Falk has served as a depth defenseman for three organizations, constantly shuttling between the NHL and AHL.

“Over the last two or three years I’ve hopped back and forth quite a bit,” Falk, 28, said after the Sabres recalled him this morning. “Just another day for me to go about my business. It’s just a ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Robin Lehner shows support for Donald Trump on mask

BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Robin Lehner grabbed the new mask he plans to debut for Military Appreciation Night, showed the soldiers and camouflage painted on the front and then turned it around.

At the bottom of the back plate, the Swede had “Trump” painted on with a small picture of the President-Elect.

“Got a little support for my man Trump here,” Lehner said Thursday after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s tilt against the New Jersey ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tyler Ennis undergoes groin surgery, out weeks

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Tyler Ennis underwent groin surgery this morning and will miss several weeks, the team has announced.

The Sabres’ longest-tenured player missed Wednesday’s 2-1 shootout loss to Ottawa with a “mid-body injury,” according to coach Dan Bylsma.

Ennis has battled injuries for the last year. Shortly after recovering from a concussion early last season, he suffered a season-ending concussion Dec. 30.

“It’s disappointing for Tyler, the situation he’s been dealing with ... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Nick Baptiste feels support in Ottawa

OTTAWA – As a native of nearby Barrhaven, about a 10-minute drive from the Canadian Tire Centre, Buffalo Sabres rookie Nick Baptiste had quite the cheering section for his sixth NHL game.

“There’s going to be a lot of people here tonight – a lot of family, friends, teachers, people in the area,” Baptiste said prior to Saturday’s 2-1 comeback win against the Senators, his first NHL appearance here. “My brother’s whole hockey team is ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Anders Nilsson shuts out Panthers

BUFFALO – Early in the Sabres’ 3-0 victory Saturday afternoon, as Dan Bylsma watched Anders Nilsson gobble up puck after puck, the coach had an ill-timed thought about his goalie’s strong performance against the Florida Panthers.

“I don’t like it when I have thoughts like this,” Bylsma said after the Sabres’ first home win ended their four-game losing streak. “He just looked so solid, so confident in net you thought it was going to be ... Read the full article