Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres need to clean up defensively, help goalie Jhonas Enroth

BUFFALO – Jhonas Enroth, the quiet, mild-mannered Sabres goalie, finally lost his cool Wednesday.

Following Tampa Bay’s final goal late in Sabres’ 5-1 loss, the diminutive Swede angrily whacked the left post with his stick like he was chopping down a tree. When the final horn ended the Sabres’ sixth loss in seven games, Enroth heaved his stick and skated off.

Minutes later, he was visibly upset in the dressing room.

In the ... Read the full article

Sabres mix up lines; Rasmus Ristolainen ready to return

BUFFALO – While the top line remained intact, Sabres coach Ted Nolan rearranged his other three trios today, an attempt to jumpstart the struggling team.

The new lines, left to right: Brian Flynn beside Mikhail Grigorenko and Chris Stewart; Cody Hodgson with Cody McCormick and Drew Stafford; Nick Deslauriers beside Johan Larsson and Patrick Kaleta.

Injuries and illness have ravaged the Sabres recently. They haven’t had a second line with Marcus Foligno and Brian Gionta ... Read the full article

Sabres implode late again, lose to Lightning

BUFFALO – The stage was set. The Sabres, four days removed from a scintillating third-period rally, fell behind three goals again.

Could the Sabres roar back again Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning? Uh, not quite.

The Sabres couldn’t even get the puck on net late in their 5-1 loss inside First Niagara Center.

The Lightning scored three times on 14 shots during the third period. The Sabres, meanwhile, had one shot the entire period.... Read the full article

Mark Pysyk has opportunity to stay with Sabres

BUFFALO – This time, Mark Pysyk could stay in the NHL for good.

Of course, some thought the Sabres defenseman had secured regular duty last season. The steady 22-year-old was often the only bright spot on a dreadful team, skating 20 minutes some nights.

But 42 games into Pysyk’s season, the Sabres sent the prospect back to Rochester. Pysyk possessed the mental skills for the NHL then, Sabres coach Ted Nolan said, but he needed ... Read the full article

Sabres becoming dominant home team: ‘I don’t think a lot of teams like coming to Buffalo’

BUFFALO – It felt like the glory days of the First Niagara Center again, 2006 and 2007 or even the late 1990s. Sabres fans sensed something special was happening, an improbable comeback was in the works.

The crowd grew louder and louder Saturday as the Sabres roared back from a 3-0 third-period deficit against the New York Islanders in just 5:12. When Chris Stewart’s nifty goal tied it, the 19,070 fans erupted.

The building hadn’t ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rasmus Ristolainen out again, Tyson Strachan set to return

BUFFALO – Some quick Sabres lineup updates following a very quiet morning skate inside the First Niagara Center:

– Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen skated but will miss his second consecutive game because of the flu.

“He’s available, but this is the first time he touched the ice in four or five days, so we’re going to let him get his feet back underneath him and put him in the next game,” Sabres coach Ted Nolan said.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta on punching himself in head: ‘I don’t really think I did’

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Patrick Kaleta said he had no clue he punched himself in the head Monday during his ferocious fight with Ottawa’s Jared Cowen until someone informed him.

Kaleta’s cool with his unusual move, though.

“Hey, if that’s what it takes to win a fight, then that’s what happens,” he said Tuesday after the Sabres practiced in HarborCenter.

Naturally, friends have been sending Kaleta the video. What happened? How does a veteran who ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta explains how he punched himself in head

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Patrick Kaleta said he had no clue he punched himself in the head Monday during his ferocious fight with Ottawa’s Jared Cowen until someone informed him.

Kaleta’s cool with his unusual move, though.

“Hey, if that’s what it takes to win a fight, then that’s what happens,” he said today after the Sabres practiced in HarborCenter.

Naturally, friends have been sending Kaleta the video. What happened? How does a veteran who ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta could play next game

With 16:01 left in the Sabres’ 5-2 loss Monday in Ottawa, oft-injured Buffalo winger Patrick Kaleta tumbled hard into the end boards with Senators defenseman Jared Cowen.

Kaleta had trouble getting up and couldn’t put any pressure on his right leg as he was helped off the ice.

It appeared the 28-year-old, who tore his right ACL last season and essentially broke his face three months ago, had suffered another major injury.

But Kaleta ... Read the full article

Report: Sabres waive goalie Matt Hackett

BUFFALO – The Sabres waived Matt Hackett today, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, meaning the goalie will likely start playing again soon in Rochester.

Hackett has been rehabbing with the Sabres all season after suffering a gruesome knee injury April 12 in Boston when the Bruins’ Torey Krug landed on his right leg. He underwent reconstructive surgery in May.

The 24-year-old played eight games with the Sabres late last season, going 1-6-1 with a 3.10 ... Read the full article