Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta to sit against Leafs; Josh Gorges out ‘a little bit’

BUFFALO – Patrick Kaleta’s home season debut will have to wait. Sabres coach Ted Nolan will scratch the winger for tonight’s tilt against the Toronto Maple Leafs inside the First Niagara Center.

The Angola native played his first NHL game since Oct. 10, 2013 on Thursday, a 6-3 loss in Minnesota.

Kaleta tore his ACL almost a year ago in the AHL and took a puck to the face Sept. 28. Nolan thinks after playing ... Read the full article

Ted Nolan searching for right Sabres line combinations

BUFFALO – Drew Stafford figured what the heck, he had nothing to lose by offering his services at center. The Sabres winger had played the position in high school.

So Stafford recently told coach Ted Nolan he would move if the reeling Sabres wanted to experiment.

“I wanted to let him know I’m comfortable with whatever he throws at myself or whoever I end up with,” Stafford said Friday inside the First Niagara Center. “I ... Read the full article

Sabres excited to have Rick Jeanneret back: ‘A pretty special moment’

BUFFALO – To winger Patrick Kaleta, who grew up in nearby Angola listening to Rick Jeanneret call games, the greatest perk of playing for the Sabres isn’t money or prestige.

“One of the best, if not the best thing about being a Sabre is hearing your name called by Rick Jeanneret,” Kaleta said Friday inside the First Niagara Center. “I still get chills listening to some of stuff on YouTube.”

So whenever Kaleta ... Read the full article

Sabres players thrilled for Rick Jeanneret’s return

BUFFALO – Whenever Patrick Kaleta needs to “get pumped up,” the Sabres winger goes to Youbtube.com and listens to legendary play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret call some famous goals.

“He makes the game so exciting,” the Angola native said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center. “It is one of the best, if not the best thing about being a Sabre is hearing your name called by Rick Jeanneret. I still get chills listening to some ... Read the full article

Legendary Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret to return Saturday

BUFFALO – Legendary Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret will call the first period of Saturday’s home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team announced this morning.

Jeanneret said last week he’s cancer-free. The Sabres announced in July the local icon was battling throat cancer.

“The time seems right to slowly begin transitioning back to work,” Jeanneret said in a statement. “My doctors have told me I’m cancer-free and I’m feeling well enough to ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta to make season debut

Buffalo Sabres winger Patrick Kaleta will make his season debut tonight against the Wild, coach Ted Nolan told reporters Wednesday in Minnesota.

Kaleta hasn’t played an NHL game since Oct. 10, 2013. The team’s old regime banished the agitator to the minors following a suspension early last season. He tore his ACL weeks later. Kaleta took a puck to the face during a Sept. 28 preseason game.

Meanwhile, defenseman Josh Gorges, who suffered a lower-body ... Read the full article

Watch: Sabres’ Nikita Zadorov fight through the years

In 141 total games between the Ontario Hockey League and NHL, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Nikita Zadorov has fought six times, according to hockeyfights.com.

Expect that number to go up.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Russian is cocky and loves to hit. He will have to answer the bell.

Zadorov fought St. Louis’ Ian Cole on Tuesday, his first NHL scrap. The 19-year-old paid back Cole when the defenseman hit the diminutive Tyler Ennis after the whistle.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Josh Gorges injured in loss to Blues

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday’s 6-1 loss to the Blues and will miss at least one game.

“It’s not good,” Sabres coach Ted Nolan told reporters in St. Louis.

Gorges, the NHL’s leading shot blocker, will be evaluated, Nolan said. He skated 10 minutes, 10 seconds and left the contest early in the second period.

The Sabres play Thursday in Minnesota and host Toronto on Saturday.... Read the full article

Former Sabres captain Steve Ott feeling refreshed with Blues

BUFFALO – Part of Steve Ott will always remain with the Sabres. The gritty 32-year-old quickly became one of the city’s most popular athletes during his two-year tenure, his blue-collar style resonating in a hardworking fan base.

“I like to think that I was a part of that organization for the right reasons,” Ott, whose St. Louis Blues host the Sabres tonight, said by phone Monday morning. “When you wear a sweater of a team, ... Read the full article

Young Sabres Rasmus Ristolainen, Nikita Zadorov impressing as tandem

BUFFALO – When you’re struggling and searching for anything to ignite the team, you experiment. So with nothing to lose, Sabres coach Ted Nolan paired Rasmus Ristolainen, 20, and rookie Nikita Zadorov, 19, together last game.

The defensemen became the Sabres’ top tandem in Saturday’s ugly 6-1 loss to Pittsburgh, each skating more than 20 minutes, more than Tyler Myers. Zadorov wasn’t on the ice for any goals against.

“If you look at both ... Read the full article