WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Calder Cup Playoffs Edition
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
Anders Nilsson enjoyed a strong preseason. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Before practice started this morning, goalie coach Andrew Allen, 40, was on the ice in full gear putting a few players through some paces, a sign one of the Sabres’ regulars was unavailable.
It turns out No. 1 goalie Robin Lehner is sick and unavailable for Tuesday’s tilt in Philadelphia, coach Dan Bylsma said.
“Hoping he would pull through this morning,” Bylsma said inside KeyBank Center.
Bylsma said backup Anders Nilsson will make ... Read the full article
Matt Moulson revamped his approach last season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The genesis of Sabres winger Matt Moulson’s revival began in the wintertime, long before he started a productive summer of training in which he reshaped his body, helping him add some much-needed speed.
Eight or nine months ago, at the behest of management, Moulson changed his work habits as he struggled through an awful eight-goal season.
When the Sabres challenged Moulson, they hoped he would reap benefits this season. So far, ... Read the full article
Casey Nelson was recalled this morning. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Some quick update from KeyBank Center, where the Sabres practiced for about an hour today after returning home from Vancouver early Friday morning:
– The Sabres recalled winger Hudson Fasching and defenseman Casey Nelson from the Rochester Americans this morning.
The rookies, who practiced today, played two weekend games, their first-ever AHL appearances. Both scored Friday. Nelson has been scratched the last three NHL games; Fasching has sat the last two.
“I felt ... Read the full article
