WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Calder Cup Playoffs Edition
Sam Reinhart (23) celebrates after scoring Feb. 9. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – After a brief run back at center filling in for the injured Ryan O’Reilly, Sabres rookie Sam Reinhart will skate again on the right wing beside center Jack Eichel and Evander Kane tonight against the Calgary Flames.
Someday, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said, he envisions Reinhart returning to center, his natural position. But Reinhart, whose 18 scores top the goal-deprived team, is most effective on the side right now, Bylsma believes.
“Just really ... Read the full article
Evander Kane (9) has been one of the Sabres’ steadiest goal scorers. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In his last three starts, goalie Robin Lehner has been the Sabres’ backbone, stopping 100 of the 105 shots opponents have pumped on him, a gaudy .952 save percentage.
For his efforts, thanks to just a single goal of support, Lehner earned zero wins.
“It’s frustrating to let those (performances) go to waste,” Sabres winger Marcus Foligno said Wednesday.
For the first time since 2010-11, the Sabres could have four players – Jack ... Read the full article
Rasmus Ristolainen has enjoyed a breakout campaign. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Forget, for a moment, that Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has a minus-6 rating in the last five contests and hasn’t scored a goal in 22 games.
Ristolainen, 21, has mostly enjoyed a stellar campaign, becoming his team’s ace defender while skating more than 25 minutes a game. Finland rewarded Ristolainen’s breakout season today, naming him to its initial roster for the 2016 World Cup.
“It’s always a pleasure,” Ristolainen said. “It’s a huge ... Read the full article
Connor McDavid (97) celebrates his first-period goal Tuesday. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – As much as Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid tried to downplay the hype, say that Tuesday’s first-ever meeting between the top two picks was really about their teams, in the end, the rookies ended up being the talk of the Edmonton Oilers’ 2-1 overtime triumph against the Sabres.
The game almost played out like it had been scripted, with McDavid, the phenom Sabres fans coveted before the Oilers won the NHL Draft ... Read the full article
Connor McDavid (97) downplayed hype before his first game in Buffalo. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Dan Bylsma, as he loves to do, kept accompanying his words with a sly grin. The so-called rivalry between phenoms Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid is a “made-up” scenario, the Sabres coach said Tuesday.
The Sabres’ 2-1 overtime loss to McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers was the first-ever NHL meeting between the “generational talents” drafted first and second overall last year. The rookies barely know each other.
How could they truly be rivals?
“The hype ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel doesn’t know Connor McDavid well. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The so-called rivalry between top draft picks Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid, well, that’s simply a “made-up scenario,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said.
Bylsma, as he’s known to do, said that with a sly grin. Like just about everyone else, he wants to see the youngsters dubbed generational talents face each other for the first time tonight when the Sabres host the Edmonton Oilers.
“The hype is produced,” Bylsma told a packed ... Read the full article
Jamie McGinn played 63 games with the Sabres. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – When free agency opens July 1, if Jamie McGinn is available, the Sabres would be interested in re-signing the popular winger they dealt to the Anaheim Ducks prior to the trade deadline, general manager Tim Murray said Monday.
In his 63-game run here, the versatile McGinn fit in well, scoring 14 goals and 27 points while skating on a slew of lines. Off the ice, McGinn, 27, grew close to rookie Jack Eichel.... Read the full article
Chad Johnson has enjoyed an impressive season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Just days ago, it appeared Sabres goalie Chad Johnson’s days here were numbered.
In fact, after the backup’s strong 24-save performance in Friday’s 3-1 win in San Jose, the joke became the Sabres should’ve left him there because the Sharks needed a new No. 2 goalie badly.
But the Sharks acquired James Reimer from Toronto on Saturday, the same day St. Louis received Anders Nilsson from Edmonton.
In a matter of hours, the ... Read the full article
Tim Murray made one trade today. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Come July 1, if Jamie McGinn is available in free agency, the Sabres would be interested in re-signing the winger, general manager Tim Murray said today after trading the veteran to the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional third-round pick in 2016.
Murray had talked a bit with McGinn’s camp about an extension. McGinn, his top asset on an expiring contract, meshed quickly in his first season with the Sabres, scoring 13 goals.
“It ... Read the full article
Jamie McGinn scored 13 goals with the Sabres. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres have finally made a trade today, dealing winger Jamie McGinn to the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional third-round pick before the 3 p.m. deadline, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
McGinn, 27, was the Sabres’ biggest asset among players with expiring contracts. The pick becomes a second-rounder if the Ducks win two playoff rounds, according to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.
In his first season here, the versatile McGinn quickly became one of the ... Read the full article
