Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

Sabres want to establish identity in final 15 games

BUFFALO – Technically, the Sabres are still alive in the playoff chase. Thanks to seven losses in eight games, it only seems like they’ve been eliminated.

But realistically, the seventh-place Sabres are finished. They must climb four teams and make up at least seven points to reach the final wild card spot.

The odds of that happening? Try 0.2 percent, according to sportclubstats.com.

Fifteen games are left, starting with tonight’s road tilt against the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel responds to benching

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said he implores slick center Jack Eichel to have five turnovers a game.

Wait, what? Bylsma really wants the second-year star to give away the puck?

“If he’s not having a turnover, then he’s not trying to do the right thing,” Bylsma explained this afternoon inside HarborCenter. “There’s a time and a place and a situation for those attempts.”

Turnovers, of course, are common. Bylsma said he expects ... Read the full article

Amerks loan Cal O’Reilly to AHL Marlies

Apparently, the Rochester Americans’ struggles became too much for Cal O’Reilly.

The Amerks today loaned O’Reilly, their captain and second-leading scorer, to the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate.

O’Reilly, 30, signed a two-year, one-way contract worth $1.4 million with the Buffalo Sabres in 2015. Giving a huge salary to an AHL player supposedly illustrated how badly the Sabres wanted to win in Rochester. But the Amerks missed the playoffs last season and ... Read the full article

Ray Sheppard helped Flyers’ Shayne Gostisbehere develop as youngster

BUFFALO – Shayne Gostisbehere was just a kid, so how was he supposed to know his hockey coach, the man helping develop his career, was a former NHL star, one of 91 men to hit the prestigious 50-goal mark?

For four years growing up outside Fort Lauderdale in Margate, Fla., Gostisbehere, a high-scoring defenseman with the Philadelphia Flyers, was coached by Ray Sheppard, who scored 38 of his 357 goals with the Sabres as a ... Read the full article

Flyers throttle Sabres: ‘We weren’t ready to play’

BUFFALO – It’s happening. Less than two years into his career, center Jack Eichel, the ultra-talented youngster the Sabres gave up an entire season to draft, is morphing into an offensive superstar.

Eichel, 20, is on fire. Since Feb. 1, Eichel leads the NHL with 24 points. With two goals and three more points Tuesday, he extended his career-long point streak to 11 games. The youngster now has 101 NHL points in just 127 ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly still relied upon heavily

BUFFALO – Ideally, the Sabres won’t have to keep utilizing versatile center Ryan O’Reilly for more than 25 minutes a game like they did in Sunday’s 4-3 loss in Pittsburgh.

O’Reilly, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said, has a “sweet spot” for his ice time. While he didn’t give a specific number, it’s probably in the 21- or 22-minute range.

Bylsma said during training camp he wanted to give O’Reilly, who led all NHL forwards in ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly still playing big minutes

BUFFALO – Ideally, the Sabres won’t have to keep utilizing versatile center Ryan O’Reilly for more than 25 minutes a game like they did in Sunday’s 4-3 loss in Pittsburgh.

O’Reilly, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said, has a “sweet spot” for his ice time. While he didn’t give a specific number, it’s probably in the 21- or 22-minute range.

Bylsma said during training camp he wanted to give O’Reilly, who led all NHL forwards in ... Read the full article

Sabres try to rebound from ’emotional hit’ against Flyers

BUFFALO – For a seventh-place team, the Sabres have showcased a lot of resiliency this season, rebounding from tough losses with some notable victories against the NHL’s top clubs.

Fresh off Sunday’s demoralizing 4-3 loss in Pittsburgh, a game in which they blew a three-goal lead, the Sabres have another opportunity tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center.

“It’s going to be the tale of the game, is us rebounding from the emotional ... Read the full article

Reeling Sabres still learning to win

BUFFALO – In what has become another disappointing season destined to end without a playoff appearance, the Sabres have endured 39 defeats. A few have been blowouts, but the club has usually been highly competitive, losing 20 one-goal affairs.

The Sabres have taken leads deep into games before melting down, losing seven contests in which they were up entering the third period.

Want a telltale sign of a team learning how to win? Try an ... Read the full article

Loss to Penguins still painful for Sabres

BUFFALO – It lingered. This morning, less than a day after the Sabres imploded again, blowing an early three-goal lead, the 4-3 loss in Pittsburgh still stung.

“This game should be painful, one we got to learn and get better from as a result,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said this afternoon following a team meeting inside KeyBank Center.

Remember, the Sabres, whose playoff hopes are hanging by a thread, have frittered away third-period leads and ... Read the full article