Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Lindy Ruff returns to Buffalo with elite Stars team

BUFFALO – A scorching start buoyed by the NHL’s best offense. Young superstar talent. Terrific depth.

When did the Dallas Stars’ Lindy Ruff have all that before? Nine years ago, when Ruff coached a slick young Sabres team to the 2006-07 Eastern Conference final following a 113-point regular season.

Back then, Ruff had a stacked club led by co-captains Daniel Briere and Chris Drury and young talent like Brian Campbell, Ryan Miller, Jason Pominville and ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Evander Kane wants to play this week; Zach Bogosian set to return

BUFFALO – After Evander Kane suffered a left MCL injury Oct. 24, the Sabres winger took a positive approach. When doctors told him he would be sidelined four to six weeks, he aimed to return after three and a half weeks.

A year ago with Winnipeg, Kane said he suffered the exact same injury to his right knee and returned in that timeframe.

“I’m a big believer in the mind’s a powerful thing,” Kane said ... Read the full article

Sabres goalies Linus Ullmark and Chad Johnson willing to share net

BUFFALO – Linus Ullmark’s spirited celebration, which has quickly become a regular occurrence when the final horn signals another win for the Sabres goalie, wasn’t premeditated.

When Ullmark notched his first NHL victory Oct. 30, he excitedly got on one knee and pumped his arm low after a 27-save performance in a 3-1 win against Philadelphia. The Swede, 22, never really planned to do it again, but his next three wins were all ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zach Bogosian will play this week; Zemgus Girgensons questionable for Stars

BUFFALO – Nearly two months after suffering a lower-body injury, Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian is almost ready for his season debut.

Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said Bogosian, 25, will play this week. But based on how hard the Massena native has been practicing in recent days, could he play Tuesday when the Sabres host the Dallas Stars?

“It’s been feeling good for a little while,” Bogosian said today after skating. “So now it’s just getting ... Read the full article

Sabres rally late, fall to Sharks in overtime

BUFFALO – Somehow, some way, the Sabres have been finding ways to win recently, and when Ryan O’Reilly tied Saturday’s tilt early in the third period, it looked like they might do it again.

Heck, they had to, right? They were playing the San Jose Sharks, a team that had won here once in its 24-year existence.

But the upstart Sabres, who reached .500 for the first time in three seasons on Thursday, couldn’t convert ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Nick Deslauriers needs to showcase more physicality

BUFFALO – Without his gritty, sandpaper style, Nick Deslauriers morphs from a strong fourth-line winger into a journeyman the Sabres are willing to scratch.

Sure, the popular 24-year-old possesses a strong shot, chips in the odd goal and even occasionally earns fill-in duty on a scoring line.

But physicality, something Deslauriers’ game has been lacking recently, is his bread and butter.

So on Thursday following the pregame warm-up in Florida, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma told ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Chad Johnson earns start against Sharks

BUFFALO – In his sixth NHL start Thursday, rookie goalie Linus Ullmark dazzled again, stopping 38 shots in the Sabres’ 3-2 win in Florida. But two nights earlier in Tampa Bay, Chad Johnson looked sharp throughout the Sabres’ 4-1 win, making 31 stops.

So which netminder will Sabres coach Dan Bylsma use tonight against the San Jose Sharks inside the First Niagara Center? Johnson will make his 12^th appearance this season.

“I think for ... Read the full article

Significant wins have Sabres primed to go over .500

BUFFALO – Eighteen NHL teams, including nine in the Eastern Conference and four in the Atlantic Division, have more points than the Sabres’ 16. At 8-8, they’re one of 20 clubs at .500 or better.

On the surface, and without fully understanding their recent turbulent past, the Sabres’ start might look a bit pedestrian. But having won three straight games and six of eight, they’ve roared back into the playoff picture. In the last two ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zach Bogosian practices; Mike Weber having knee surgery

BUFFALO – Just how antsy was defenseman Zach Bogosian to join his Sabres teammates for practice at noon today?

“I was here at like 8 o’clock, I think,” Bogosian said this afternoon after skating inside the First Niagara Center. “I was a little excited. It’s nice to be around the guys.”

Bogosian, who’s been sidelined with a lower-body injury since the third day of training camp, is finally nearing a return. While there’s no timetable ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tyler Ennis knows he can improve

BUFFALO – When Dan Bylsma and Tyler Ennis discuss the speedy Sabres winger’s play, the coach rarely has to give the young veteran his opinion.

That’s because Ennis, who can often be critical of his own game, usually beats Bylsma to the punch.

“He tells me the same thing he’s told you,” Bylsma said Monday following practice inside the First Niagara Center. “I know (he’s) probably been a little hard on himself a handful of ... Read the full article