Ruhwedel - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Ryan Miller likely to start against Penguins

PITTSBURGH – Ryan Miller was the first Buffalo Sabres goalie off the ice this morning inside Consol Energy Center, meaning the veteran will likely start tonight against the Penguins.

Will it be Miller’s 499^th and final appearance with the Sabres?

Miller hasn’t played since getting yanked from Friday’s ugly 8-4 home loss to the New York Rangers, a game Miller sarcastically saluted the crowd in between two Bronx cheers. The 32-year-old then voiced his ... Read the full article

Emotional Sabres ready to play in Boston

BUFFALO – If Sabres defenseman Chad Ruhwedel hadn’t signed his first NHL contract last week, then the rookie would’ve been watching the Boston Marathon up close on Monday, celebrating Patriots’ Day with friends like he had while attending UMass Lowell.

Ruhwedel knows Boston well and enjoys the city. So does Sabres winger Nathan Gerbe, who spent three years at Boston College.

Naturally, Monday’s terrorist bomb attacks that killed three people near the marathon finish ... Read the full article

Sabres emotional over Boston Marathon bombing

BUFFALO – If Chad Ruhwedel hadn’t signed his first NHL contract last week, then the Sabres rookie would’ve been watching the Boston Marathon, celebrating Patriots’ Day with friends like he had while attending UMass Lowell.

Monday’s bomb blasts near the finish line that killed three people and injured 180 have shaken Ruhwedel. He had friends in the area enjoying the day. His sister was just landing in Boston. Everyone was OK.

“If I didn’t have ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Enroth grounds Lightning in second consecutive start

BUFFALO – This two-day stretch hardly mirrored the last time Sabres backup goalie Jhonas Enroth earned consecutive starts for a healthy Ryan Miller.

Back in November 2011, Enroth sported an eight-game winning streak as Miller was beginning a wretched three-month slump. The Swede’s second nod ignited a goaltending controversy.

These days, Miller’s entrenched as the No. 1 goalie. Enroth, meanwhile, recently regained the dynamic form he showcased early during his rookie season.

If the ... Read the full article

Kevin Porter establishing himself as one of Sabres’ top forwards

BUFFALO – Ten years ago, Ron Rolston wanted Kevin Porter to come play at Boston College. The interim Sabres coach, then an NCAA assistant, recruited the teenage hockey star, even talked to his father a little bit.

Ultimately, Porter stayed in his home state, becoming a collegiate legend at Michigan. Rolston, meanwhile, took over Team USA’s development program shortly after Porter left.

Their paths crossed again in July.

Porter’s career had hit a rut after ... Read the full article

NHL debut caps whirlwind 24 hours for Sabres rookie Chad Ruhwedel

BUFFALO – On Friday night, a day after UMass Lowell lost to Yale in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal, Chad Ruhwedel checked his phone on the tarmac when the River Hawks’ flight from Pittsburgh landed in Boston.

“It says, ‘Call me immediately’ from my advisor, my mom, too,” the 22-year-old first team All-American defenseman said Saturday after making his NHL debut in the Sabres’ 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The undrafted Ruhwedel knew his ... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Chad Ruhwedel to make NHL debut hours after signing contract

BUFFALO – What does interim coach Ron Rolston know about defenseman Chad Ruhwedel, the free agent from UMass Lowell the Sabres signed to a two-year, entry-level contract today?

“Not much,” Rolston said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center.

Rolston will know a whole lot about Ruhwedel by about 5:30 p.m. The 22-year-old, who finished his three-year NCAA career earlier this week, will made his NHL debut against the Philadelphia Flyers this afternoon.

Ruhwedel ... Read the full article