Happy Holidays
BUFFALO – Sabres captain Jack Eichel grabbed the puck behind the net, surveyed the action in front of him and started creeping out.
Late in third period of a tie game, the St. Louis Blues should’ve been shadowing Eichel everywhere. But they inexplicably gave the NHL’s hottest scorer all the time and space he needed.
So Eichel skated out front and, without any Blues nearby, beat goalie Jake Allen from the bottom of the ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was so excited to practice with his teammates Tuesday morning he said he woke up at 6:30.
“I was nervous, it felt like Christmas,” said an upbeat Dahlin, who has missed eight games after suffering a concussion Nov. 25. “Good to be back. I was really happy to skate with the boys today.”
Dahlin, 19, hasn’t played since Tampa Bay Lighting defenseman Erik Cernak elbowed him in the ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Casey Mittelstadt understands why he was scratched. The Sabres center knows he played poorly in Saturday afternoon’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
The Sabres have forward depth again, so Mittelstadt, who has scored one goal in the last 21 games, sat out Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers.
“It’s not a secret I didn’t play well in Vancouver,” Mittelstadt said this morning. “Yeah, you want to play every game, ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was so excited to practice with his teammates today he said he woke up at 6:30 this morning.
“I was nervous, it felt like Christmas,” said an upbeat Dahlin, who has missed the last seven games after suffering a concussion Nov. 25. “Good to be back. I was really happy to skate with the boys today.”
Dahlin, 19, hasn’t played since Tampa Bay Lighting defenseman Erik Cernak elbowed him ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – If Carter Hutton were performing close to his usual standards, the Sabres goalie would likely start tonight’s home game against the St. Louis Blues.
Hutton, 33, spent two seasons with the Blues, playing 61 games before signing a three-year, $8.25 million contract with the Sabres.
The veteran, of course, probably wants to face the Blues, the defending Stanley Cup champions, badly.
But for the for the ninth time in the last 12 games, ... Read the full article
It finally hit Chris Butler after the Stanley Cup arrived at his door last week in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Even as Butler lifted hockey’s most coveted prize over his head on the TD Garden ice and kissed it June 12, it didn’t fully sink in he and his hometown St. Louis Blues had captured their first Cup.
“There’s such a wave of emotion going on at the time, almost disbelief of what just transpired,” said ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Kyle Okposo heard the crowd roaring and wanted in on the action.
For a 27-second stretch late in the third period of Sunday afternoon’s entertaining 4-3 shootout win, the Sabres started thumping every opponent in sight.
The normally docile fans inside KeyBank Center grew louder and louder with each hit.
So Okposo wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to hit St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – St. Louis Blues center Ryan O’Reilly hasn’t experienced a season like this in five years, since he played for the Colorado Avalanche.
For the first time since 2013-14, O’Reilly, 28, has a legitimate chance to reach the playoffs.
Simply contending for a spot has helped rejuvenate O’Reilly, who was beaten down by the losing he endured in Buffalo so much he acknowledged following last season it sapped some of his love for hockey.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The Sabres cleared one huge hurdle in Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes by, uh, scoring a goal for the first time in more than three games.
“It certainly was a relief,” coach Phil Housley said of the Sabres ending their drought at 199:58. “I really like the way we started, and just taking a look at the game after the fact, I really liked the way we played. We had a ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The trade could go down as one of the worst in Sabres history.
For NHL All-Star Ryan O’Reilly, the Sabres received two overpaid veteran forwards, a prospect who has been in and out of the lineup and first- and second-round picks from the St. Louis Blues, this afternoon’s opponent at KeyBank Center.
The Sabres’ struggles this season can be sliced and diced a thousand ways. But getting rid of O’Reilly on July ... Read the full article
