Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

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 notes: Cal O’Reilly’s hot start with Amerks rewarded

BUFFALO – Some heads turned when the Sabres awarded center Cal O’Reilly, a talented minor leaguer almost four years removed from his last NHL game, a two-year, $1.4 million contract in 2015.

But O’Reilly, the AHL’s leading scorer, has morphed into a valuable asset for the organization, captaining the Rochester Americans and providing depth for the Sabres.

O’Reilly, 30, proved that Saturday just hours after earning a recall, scoring the shootout winner in the ... 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’ Josh Gorges takes pride in facing opposition’s best

BUFFALO – About 20 times tonight, Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges will jump over the boards to take on arguably the toughest task in hockey, trying to stop Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby.

Gorges will probably spend around 20 minutes defending Crosby and his linemates, a stiff challenge the 12-year veteran embraces.

To Gorges, the dynamic Crosby is the NHL’s best player, someone to measure yourself against.

“He just does things no one else can do,” ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly still sidelined

BUFFALO – A couple of quick updates from KeyBank Center, where the Sabres practiced this morning after Thursday’s 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay:

– Top center Ryan O’Reilly, out of the last three games with a mid-body injury, didn’t practice today or even skate on his own, coach Dan Bylsma said. O’Reilly is day-to-day but is doubtful for Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh.

– Bylsma said the lower-back injury defenseman Dmitry Kulikov suffered late in ... Read the full article

Snakebitten Sabres fall to Lightning

BUFFALO – Early in the second period of Thursday’s dreary 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, goalie Ben Bishop gifted the Sabres’ anemic offense a chance it sorely needed to tie the game.

Stationed behind his net, Bishop blindly threw the puck up the middle of the ice to a waiting Kyle Okposo. The Sabres’ leading scorer then quickly let a low wrist shot loose toward the open net.

“That one was on the ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Taylor Fedun debuts against Lightning

BUFFALO – Had Taylor Fedun been healthy enough to participate in training camp, then perhaps the Sabres would’ve recalled the high-scoring defenseman earlier this season.

But Fedun, who made his Sabres debut Thursday, fractured his foot in April playing with the Utica Comets, the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate. The Princeton product didn’t begin skating again until the day before training camp started, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said.

So while Fedun, 28, participated in meetings with ... Read the full article

Lightning confident it can overcome Steven Stamkos’ injury

BUFFALO – On the surface, it might look like a season-killing injury for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Two-time 50-goal scorer Steven Stamkos could reportedly miss four months after tearing his lateral meniscus in an innocent-looking play Tuesday in Detroit.

The Lightning captain plans to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery in Colorado, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, who also reported a four-month recovery is a best-case scenario.

Stamkos, 26, and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin are the only superstars ... Read the full article

Sabres recall Taylor Fedun to replace Casey Nelson

BUFFALO – Had Taylor Fedun been healthy enough to participate in training camp, then perhaps the Sabres would’ve recalled the defenseman earlier this season.

But Fedun, who will make his Sabres debut tonight, fractured his foot in April. He didn’t skate again until the day before training camp started, coach Dan Bylsma said.

After finally joining Sabres practices Oct. 1, Fedun said he was still behind a week or two following his assignment Rochester Americans ... Read the full article

Reeling Sabres playing close games

BUFFALO – When did we see this type of stretch from the Sabres – lots of dull, tight games they inevitably lose – before?

About three weeks ago, shortly after the season started, when they dropped four straight contests. After a brief turnaround, the Sabres are experiencing a similarly dreadful run entering tonight’s tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the start of a four-game home stand at KeyBank Center.

Having lost five straight games (0-3-2), ... Read the full article