Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sam Reinhart’s first goal closes Sabres’ preseason blowout win against Capitals

BUFFALO – Seven minutes, 10 seconds into the third period Wednesday, with the Sabres up four goals against the Washington Capitals, top prospect Sam Reinhart finally found some open ice.

Reinhart, by his own admission, had been pressing this preseason. The savvy 18-year-old couldn’t score or even create opportunities, and it gnawed at him. The hockey IQ fans have heard about so much rarely materialized.

But as Wednesday’s contest dragged on, the center got open ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko must keep impressing to earn roster spot

BUFFALO – Two weeks into training camp, center Mikhail Grigorenko remains the Sabres’ biggest surprise. Two more impressive outings could earn the Russian prospect a roster spot.

“He’s been looking really good,” Sabres coach Ted Nolan said this morning inside the First Niagara Center. “He’s strong on the puck. He’s been making some really good plays. So the biggest thing right now is keep seeing him do it.”

Grigorenko has two more preseason opportunities, tonight ... Read the full article

Prospect Sam Reinhart running out of time to impress Sabres, knows he must score

BUFFALO – A goal or even a little more assertiveness tonight would greatly boost top prospect Sam Reinhart’s chances of making the Sabres right out of junior hockey.

Time could be running out for the 18-year-old, the No. 2 pick in June. Only two exhibition games are left.

Through three appearances, Reinhart has zero points, just two shots on goal and a minus-1 rating while averaging 16 minutes, 16 seconds of ice time. Incredibly, ... Read the full article

Patrick Kaleta and Johan Larsson could be back in Sabres lineup soon

BUFFALO – Patrick Kaleta’s facial injury isn’t as bad the Sabres originally feared, and the winger could miss as little as a month, coach Ted Nolan said Tuesday.

“It’s still serious,” Nolan said inside the First Niagara Center. “It’s not going to be a three-month thing. It’s could be a less-than-month type of thing. So we’re thankful for that.”

Kaleta and forward Johan Larsson were injured early in Sunday’s 3-2 shootout exhibition loss in Toronto. ... Read the full article

Sabres assign 7 to Amerks, including veteran Matt Ellis

BUFFALO – Veteran forward Matt Ellis was among seven players the Sabres sent to Rochester this afternoon.

The Sabres also assigned: forwards Joel Armia and Tim Schaller; defensemen Drew Bagnall and Nick Petricki; goalies Nathan Lieuwen and Andrey Makarov.

Ellis and Bagnall must clear waivers to reach the AHL Americans. Ellis captained Rochester in 2012-13 and last season before earning a 50-game recall.... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Sam Reinhart must create more offense to earn roster spot

BUFFALO – Time is running out for top Sabres prospect Sam Reinhart to make a notable impression this preseason.

The No. 2 pick in June has zero points and just two shots on goal through three preseason appearances. Still, Sabres coach Ted Nolan has said he’s seen improvements in the slick center’s game, especially late in contests.

Nolan will play Reinhart the final two exhibition games. The Sabres host Washington on Wednesday and play in ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta could miss less than month, Johan Larsson out about 10 days

BUFFALO – Patrick Kaleta’s facial injury isn’t as bad the Sabres originally feared, and the winger could miss as little as a month, coach Ted Nolan said this afternoon.

Kaleta and forward Johan Larsson were injured early in Sunday’s 3-2 shootout exhibition loss in ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Marcus Foligno primed for breakout season

BUFFALO – There have been some glimpses of future stardom during Marcus Foligno’s short career. For brief stretches, the Sabres winger will showcase the unique skills only a few elite power forwards possess, using his 6-foot-3, 223-pound frame to score goals and bang bodies.

But Foligno has mostly performed inconsistently, making fans wonder if the 23-year-old will ever develop into the star many envisioned he would become following his memorable debut in late 2011-12.... Read the full article

Injured Sabres Patrick Kaleta and Johan Larsson still being evaluated

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Ted Nolan had no updates on injured forwards Patrick Kaleta and Johan Larsson this afternoon. The players are still being evaluated.

“Nothing official yet,” Nolan said inside the First Niagara Center. “We’ll just wait until the official reports.”

The oft-injured Kaleta left Sunday’s 3-2 shootout preseason loss in Toronto just minutes in when Morgan Rielly’s slap shot hit the winger in the cheekbone area. Kaleta immediately skated off the ice to ... Read the full article

Andrej Meszaros enjoying fresh start with Sabres

TORONTO – Coach Ted Nolan noticed a little smirk on Andrej Meszaros’ face following the defenseman’s recent Buffalo Sabres debut.

Meszaros had just skated a whopping 29 minutes, 39 seconds in Tuesday’s 2-0 win against Carolina. The minutes felt like a warm welcome.

“It felt pretty good,” Meszaros said last week.

Meszaros, 28, hadn’t played that much in a 60-minute game since May 6, 2011. Back then, the Slovak had just been named Philadelphia’s top ... Read the full article