WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Mark Pysyk was a first-round pick in 2010. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Being back here felt “weird,” Mark Pysyk, clad in Florida Panthers workout gear, said Saturday morning as he took a break from preparing for his first game as a visitor at KeyBank Center.
Pysyk, 24, grew up with the Sabres, developing from a first-round pick in 2010 into an NHL defenseman.
“The last six years I’ve been coming here for … everything,” Pysyk said prior to the Sabres’ 3-0 win against ... Read the full article
Ryan O’Reilly believes the Sabres have done some things well. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Ryan O’Reilly started rattling off some of the good things the struggling Sabres have recently accomplished within their losses.
“There’s little things in every game that we’re doing well,” the center said Friday after the Sabres prepared for this afternoon’s tilt against the Florida Panthers inside KeyBank Center. “But it’s just our consistency with it.”
The Sabres played their most consistent contest Oct. 20 in Vancouver, O’Reilly said. They enjoyed a monster three-goal ... Read the full article
Robin Lehner was off the ice four days. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Robin Lehner, sidelined two games by a “stomach bug,” said he will likely start Sunday afternoon’s road contest against the Winnipeg Jets.
“I’m ready,” Lehner said today after practicing inside KeyBank Center.
Lehner said he won’t play Saturday afternoon. Sabres coach Dan Bylsma, meanwhile, wouldn’t divulge his starter for the Florida Panthers.
“We’ll see on our goaltender,” Bylsma said.
Goalies Anders Nilsson, Lehner’s sub, and Linus Ullmark also practiced ... Read the full article
Tyler Ennis (63) battles Minnesota’s Zac Dalpe on Thursday. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Just six games in, it already feels like past seasons. The Sabres are going nowhere fast again. Thursday’s embarrassing 4-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild, their fourth straight defeat and fifth overall, proved that.
Few expected the Sabres would be this bad again, but two weeks into another trying year, they still rank among the NHL’s bottom-feeders.
Clearly, the Sabres carried Tuesday’s brutal 4-3 shootout loss in Philadelphia, a game in which ... Read the full article
Jason Pominville spent eight seasons with the Sabres. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Minnesota Wild winger Jason Pominville thought for a moment, scanned his mind for some names. The former Sabres captain came up with two.
“Uh, like, Foligno, Ennis,” Pominville said Thursday prior to the Wild’s 4-0 win inside KeyBank Center. “Umm, that might be it.”
That’s it. Only two players from Pominville’s long tenure here, which ended April 3, 2013, are still with the Sabres: wingers Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno.
“There’s not ... Read the full article
Jason Pominville’s role has changed in recent seasons. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Minnesota Wild winger Jason Pominville thought for a moment, scanned his mind for some names. The former Sabres captain came up with two.
“Uh, like, Foligno, Ennis,” Pominville said this morning inside KeyBank Center. “Umm, that might be it.”
That’s it. Only two players from Pominville’s long tenure here, which ended April 3, 2013, are still with the Sabres: wingers Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno.
“There’s not a lot of guys ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo is excited for his home debut. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – It’s simple, really. If the Sabres have any hope of making the playoffs, they must become a strong home team, something they haven’t been in years.
The Sabres, who host the Minnesota Wild tonight at KeyBank Center, are 0-1 at home this season. They went 16-19-6 last season, when only two teams earned fewer home wins.
“It’s something we didn’t do last year and something we talked about doing this year, making this ... Read the full article
Josh Gorges said the Sabres got too fancy Tuesday. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – To locate the Sabres’ current standing, look in a familiar place. Find the Atlantic Division and scan down, all the way to the bottom. There, in eighth place, you’ll spot the 1-2-2 club.
The Sabres are one of four NHL teams with just a single win and four points. Only one team, the Arizona Coyotes, has fewer points.
Yes, it’s early. The Sabres have 77 games left, starting with tonight’s home tilt against ... Read the full article
Robin Lehner missed Tuesday’s game. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Robin Lehner, who missed Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss in Philadelphia, is still sidelined by the flu.
Lehner, the fourth player to become ill recently, stayed home today, his third straight day off the ice. The other Sabres have recovered in about two days, coach Dan Bylsma said.
While Bylsma didn’t rule Lehner out of Thursday’s home tilt against the Minnesota Wild, it appears unlikely he will play.
Sam Reinhart thrived as a winger last season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – It was only a matter of time before Sam Reinhart switched positions.
With center Jack Eichel injured, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma loaded up his top line early, keeping Reinhart at right wing, this time beside Ryan O’Reilly and Kyle Okposo.
Reinhart, however, produced only two assists in four games. The 1-2-1 Sabres, meanwhile, have just 11 goals as a team, six of them in one outing.
They clearly miss the talented ... Read the full article
