WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
November Edition
Nikita Zadorov sat much of October. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres suspended Nikita Zadorov today after the 19-year-old defenseman failed to report back to the team on time following the NHL All-Star break.
“What can you do?” coach Ted Nolan said this afternoon after the Sabres practiced without Zadorov inside HarborCenter. “The travel conditions sometimes get in the way. That’s how it is.”
In a statement, general manager Tim Murray said Zadorov would join the team on its trip out west. Nolan ... Read the full article
Nikita Zadorov was late reporting back to the Sabres. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres suspended Nikita Zadorov today after the 19-year-old defenseman failed to report back to the team on time following the NHL All-Star break.
Zadorov isn’t on the ice this afternoon practicing at HarborCenter.
“We anticipate Nikita joining the team at some point during this week’s western road trip,” Sabres general manager Tim Murray said in a statement.
In other news, the Sabres have recalled goalie Matt Hackett from Rochester because Michal Neuvirth ... Read the full article
Zemgus Girgensons left Latvia in 2009 to play junior hockey in Vermont. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Five years later, the Christmas cards Jim Hall sends out each year feature photos of his three children and someone so close he calls him another family member, Sabres center Zemgus Girgensons.
“Z’s been on our Christmas card we send out ever since he’s lived with us,” said Hall, Girgensons’ billet during the 2009-10 season.
Before he became an NHL All-Star and a household name in Buffalo, Girgensons spent his first year ... Read the full article
Tom McCollum won his first NHL game Sunday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Tom McCollum’s career was heading down the minor-league journeyman’s path, going nowhere fast.
Three years into professional hockey, the goalie was still shuttling between the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins and the ECHL Toledo Walleye. After his fourth season, the Detroit Red Wings declined to give him a two-way contract.
Instead, Detroit offered McCollum, the 30th pick in 2008, an AHL deal prior to the 2013-14 campaign. The Cambria native wasn’t even eligible ... Read the full article
Matt Ellis played four games during his recall. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres sent centers Matt Ellis and Phil Varone back to Rochester this morning.
Ellis was pointless in his first four NHL games this season. Varone, meanwhile, had two goals and two points in seven games.
Both are alternate captains for the AHL Americans.
In other news, Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko has been named AHL Player of the Week after scoring three goals and seven points in three games, helping the Amerks rally ... Read the full article
Cody McCormick was recently hospitalized. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
Buffalo Sabres forward Cody McCormick, who was recently hospitalized with a blood clot in his calf muscle, will likely miss the rest of the season, coach Ted Nolan told reporters Sunday in Detroit.
“Right now, I’m not banking on him coming back,” Nolan said following the Sabres’ 6-4 loss.
McCormick missed some practice time but played three games after blocking a shot Jan. 3 in New York. He was released from the hospital early ... Read the full article
Philadelphia’s R.J. Umberger deflects the puck past Sabres goalie Michal Neuvirth on Saturday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – If you’re a glass-is-half-full type, the Sabres did some good things in Saturday’s 4-3 defeat to a weak Philadelphia Flyers team, their 10th consecutive regulation loss.
For the first time in weeks, the Sabres started strongly and showcased a better effort early, taking the lead and dictating much of the play. When the Flyers went up 2-1, they tied it late in the second period. They even scored three goals for the ... Read the full article
Phil Varone only played sparingly Saturday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In a deep rebuild, with losses and injuries piling up, plenty of jobs on the Sabres are still available.
Heck, the Sabres have had openings throughout the lineup for two years. Sooner or later, someone – a top prospect, an unknown youngster, a waiver acquisition or a depth veteran – has to step up and grab one, right?
Sabres coach Ted Nolan wants the newcomers do something different, stand out and make a ... Read the full article
Mike Weber had knee surgery last month. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – How bad are the Sabres early in games? Really bad.
Opponents have outscored the struggling Sabres 40-15 in the first period and outshot them 493-336 entering tonight’s tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers inside the First Niagara Center. In Thursday’s 7-0 loss to Minnesota, the Wild scored twice and outshot the Sabres 15-3 in the opening period.
“We talk about that all the time going into games, we have to have good starts, let’s ... Read the full article
Ted Nolan’s Sabres have lost nine straight games. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres have lost a franchise-record nine consecutive games and 31 of 45 overall this trying season. They rank 29th in a 30-team league and dead last or close to the bottom in every major statistical category. They just lost 7-0 to a reeling Minnesota Wild team, their worst home defeat since 1977.
Of course, the Sabres, who host the Philadelphia Flyers tonight, were supposed to lose this season. But was ... Read the full article