Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres blow late lead, lose to Wild in shootout

BUFFALO – Finally, thanks to rookie Jack Eichel’s score, it appeared the Sabres’ first shootout goal in months would help them eke out a win after blowing a late lead against the Minnesota Wild.

Eichel, just 66 games into his career, already has a commanding on-ice presence. His exploits create excitement and momentum, and his first NHL shootout goal in four tries had the capacity crowd of 19,070 fans inside the First Niagara Center buzzing ... Read the full article

Former Sabres star Thomas Vanek excited about World Cup

BUFFALO – The upcoming World Cup of Hockey will be a much different international experience for veteran Thomas Vanek, a two-time 40-goal scorer with the Sabres.

Instead of hoping Austria can simply win a game to stay in the ‘A’ pool, the Minnesota Wild winger has a roster spot on Team Europe, a collection of top talent from seven countries.

“For me, it’s cool because actually I can go into one of those tournaments ... Read the full article

Fun-loving Nick Deslauriers popular with Sabres teammates

BUFFALO – It’s only playful fighting, of course. Sometimes Nick Deslauriers and Marcus Foligno scrap on the ice after practice. Other times the Sabres wingers tussle for positioning on the bus.

“That’s normal,” a smiling Foligno said Friday. “We do that quite a bit. He annoys me quite a bit. I annoy him quite a bit. We go hand-in-hand.”

Their constant jousting earned them the nickname “Bash Brothers” from their teammates, Foligno said.

“We’re always ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Matt Moulson buying into new work plan

BUFFALO – At this point, five goals and 64 games into Sabres winger Matt Moulson’s miserable season, all the work he’s putting in and the revamped training regimen he has been following is about seeing results next season.

Yes, according to general manager Tim Murray, who ripped Moulson on the radio Thursday, and coach Dan Bylsma, the three-time 30-goal scorer is still in the Sabres’ plans. They talk about the veteran, 32, returning for ... Read the full article

Secondary scoring boosts Sabres over Flames

BUFFALO – Marcus Foligno’s nifty toe-drag slickly undressed a defender short-handed. Nick Deslauriers utilized his underrated shot. Then Johan Larsson showcased some supreme patience before roofing the backhand winner in the Sabres’ 6-3 victory against the hapless Calgary Flames on Thursday.

For good measure, rookie Jack Eichel added some power-play insurance, his first goal in eight games, before Evander Kane’s empty-netter secured only the Sabres’ 12^th home win.

The Sabres’ offense has been anemic ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zemgus Girgensons, Flames’ Johnny Gaudreau grew close in junior

BUFFALO – Almost six years ago, Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau met a shy European teenager who barely a year earlier had left his native Latvia to embark on a hockey career in the United States.

At first, as Sabres winger Zemgus Girgensons acclimated to life in the junior United States Hockey League, he was quiet around his Dubuque Fighting Saints teammates.

Within a month, Gaudreau said, his new friend had “changed completely.”

“He’s talking ... Read the full article

Dan Bylsma envisions Sabres rookie Sam Reinhart as center in future

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

Sabres’ anemic offense wasting strong goaltending efforts

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

Sabres’ Rasmus Ristolainen earns World Cup spot

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 steals show in Oilers’ overtime win against Sabres

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