Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres taking ‘different approach’ with top prospect Sam Reinhart

BUFFALO – In his fourth NHL appearance, top prospect Sam Reinhart skated only six minutes, 39 seconds on the fourth line between Nick Deslauriers and Cody McCormick in the Sabres’ 4-3 shootout win against Carolina on Tuesday.

Why did Sabres coach Ted Nolan slash the 18-year-old’s minutes?

For three regular-season games and the entire preseason, Nolan threw Reinhart “right into the fire” to see how he would react. So the slick center, the No. 2 ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta back practicing after scary injury

BUFFALO – Patrick Kaleta’s face was mangled.

“Broke a bunch of things in there,” the oft-injured Sabres winger said this afternoon following practice inside the First Niagara Center.

Kaleta said doctors inserted three plates and 14 screws after a shot hit him in the face during a Sept. 28 preseason game in Toronto. The 28-year-old has experienced blurred vision and migraines.

Still, less than three weeks after the scary incident, the Angola native is on ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zemgus Girgensons earning ‘legendary’ status

BUFFALO – The joke started during Zemgus Girgensons’ draft season three years ago.

Coach Jim Montgomery and his Dubuque Fighting Saints told stories – well, more like tall tales – about Girgensons, their hard-nosed Latvian captain, and dubbed them “The Legend of Zemgus.”

The stories, Montgomery said, “would just grow.”

“Because of the way he plays,” Montgomery said by phone Wednesday, “some of them are believable, like Zemgus means ‘one who eats lions’ in ... Read the full article

Reeling Sabres already changing lineup

Three games into the season, Buffalo Sabres coach Ted Nolan is already overhauling his reeling team’s lineup.

– Defenseman Andrej Meszaros, a minus-6, will be benched tonight in Carolina for Tyson Strachan.

– Cody Hodgson, a winger from late last season through Monday’s ugly 5-1 loss to Anaheim, switched from the left side back to center this morning.

– Rookie center Sam Reinhart was dropped to the fourth line.

The 0-3 Sabres are already ... Read the full article

Sabres look feckless in embarrassing loss to Ducks

BUFFALO – Three straight losses. Two goal scorers. One hapless Sabres team barreling toward another lottery pick.

Five days into the new campaign, the Sabres, the NHL’s laughingstock last season, look just as bad as the wretched 2013-14 outfit that finished 30^th overall.

Monday afternoon’s embarrassing 5-1 loss to the powerhouse Anaheim Ducks might rank as one of the ugliest home losses in team history.

The Western Conference power throttled the Sabres from the ... Read the full article

Gary Bettman hints Sabres could host another outdoor game

BUFFALO – The Sabres officially have the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. They plan to bid on an NHL All-Star game. The team has already secured the league’s scouting combine for the next two years.

Hmmm, what other big event could be in the works?

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said owner Terry Pegula and his wife, Kim, mentioned Monday the Sabres would be interested in hosting another outdoor game.

The Sabres had the first Winter Classic ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Michal Neuvirth to make first start this season

BUFFALO – The Sabres will make one lineup change for this afternoon’s tilt against the Anaheim Ducks, but it won’t be on defense.

Sabres coach Ted Nolan said goalie Michal Neuvirth, who endured an awful preseason, will make his first start this season. The Sabres also play Tuesday in Carolina, so Jhonas Enroth needs some rest.

“Neuvy’s been well-rested,” Nolan said inside the First Niagara Center. “He’s got some great work in the last ... Read the full article

Sabres trying to avoid another 0-3 start, already searching for answers

BUFFALO – If you’re a glass-is-half-full type, the Sabres have stayed in both of their games until the third period. If you’re a half-empty type, they’re 0-2 and, overall, playing pretty terribly.

The Sabres never lost their first three games in regulation until last season, when they began the worst campaign in franchise history 0-3 and 0-6-1.

Now, they could be 0-3 again. The Anaheim Ducks, who won 31 more games than the Sabres ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Cody Hodgson feeling comfortable at left wing

BUFFALO – A year ago, the thought of Cody Hodgson playing anywhere but center would have seemed absurd.

The Sabres had few viable options down the middle. Tyler Ennis was still bouncing between two forward spots. Zemgus Girgensons was just beginning his NHL career as a winger.

Besides, Hodgson had just signed a six-year, $25.5 million contract extension to be the No. 1 pivot.

But late in the season, following an evaluation period, the team’s ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Cody McCormick questionable for Saturday

BUFFALO – Forward Cody McCormick missed today’s practice but could accompany the Sabres to Chicago for Saturday’s game against the Blackhawks.

Sabres coach Ted Nolan officially called McCormick’s absence a maintenance day. He skated 10 minutes, 46 seconds in Thursday’s 3-1 season-opening loss to Columbus.

Brian Flynn subbed on his line between Nick Deslauriers and Torrey Mitchell.

In other news, the Sabres switched two centers today, putting 18-year-old rookie Sam Reinhart back between Marcus ... Read the full article