WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Brendan Guhle look comfortable Saturday afternoon. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Early in his NHL debut Saturday afternoon, Sabres rookie Brendan Guhle, like any youngster thrust into the spotlight, said he felt “a lot” of nerves.
Who could blame him? A day earlier, the defenseman was in British Columbia preparing for a junior Western Hockey League game.
On Saturday, after the Sabres made an emergency recall, they threw Guhle headfirst into the action, skating him 16 minutes, 20 seconds in their 2-1 loss ... Read the full article
Brendan Guhle was surprised to be recalled. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Brendan Guhle was warming up with his junior Prince George Cougars teammates Friday when his coach gave him some unexpected news.
“Told me I was traded to the Sabres,” a smiling Guhle, who was summoned to help the Sabres’ beleaguered blue line, said this morning prior to his NHL debut.
Actually, the Sabres recalled Guhle, their top defense prospect, on an emergency basis for this afternoon’s tilt against the Boston Bruins ... Read the full article
Brendan Guhle has impressed the Sabres. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In a surprising move, the Sabres dipped into junior hockey Friday and recalled Brendan Guhle, their top defense prospect, on an emergency basis to replace the injured Josh Gorges.
Guhle, 19, almost made the Sabres out of training camp the last two years. The 2015 second-round pick will likely make his NHL debut this afternoon against the Boston Bruins inside KeyBank Center.
Gorges blocked a shot in Thursday’s 4-3 win against the ... Read the full article
Robin Lehner has played 16 games. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Robin Lehner, sidelined with a sore hip for Thursday’s 4-3 win against the New York Rangers, will start Saturday afternoon’s game against the Boston Bruins, coach Dan Bylsma said.
The Sabres returned goalie Linus Ullmark to the Rochester Americans earlier today.
Lehner was hurt early in Tuesday’s 5-4 win in Ottawa. Backup Anders Nilsson subbed for him Thursday.
In other news, defenseman Josh Gorges is questionable for the Bruins after blocking ... Read the full article
The Sabres have missed Jack Eichel. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – A week ago, Sabres center Jack Eichel said he circled a date on his calendar he would like to return from the high left ankle sprain that has sidelined him six weeks.
“But that’s pretty fragile and can change pretty quickly,” Eichel told a throng of reporters after skating with his teammates this morning, his first session since injuring his ankle Oct. 12, the day before the season opener.
Eichel, of course, ... Read the full article
Dan Bylsma will coach his 500th NHL game tonight. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – When did we see this type of stretch from the Sabres – lots of dull, tight games they inevitably lose – before?
About three weeks ago, shortly after the season started, when they dropped four straight contests. After a brief turnaround, the Sabres are experiencing a similarly dreadful run entering tonight’s tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the start of a four-game home stand at KeyBank Center.
Having lost five straight games (0-3-2), ... Read the full article
Justin Falk spent part of last season in Columbus. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Down one day, up the next. Repeat for six months. For the last three seasons, Sabres newcomer Justin Falk has served as a depth defenseman for three organizations, constantly shuttling between the NHL and AHL.
“Over the last two or three years I’ve hopped back and forth quite a bit,” Falk, 28, said after the Sabres recalled him this morning. “Just another day for me to go about my business. It’s just a ... Read the full article
Jhonas Enroth signed a one-year contract with Toronto in August. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – This city, Jhonas Enroth said, will always “have a soft spot in my heart.” The Swede grew up with the Sabres, often performing like the team’s goalie of the future during his 118-game run here.
But almost two years after his last appearance with the Sabres, “the feeling is starting to cool down a little bit,” Enroth said Thursday prior to the Sabres’ 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Leafs are ... Read the full article
Zach Bogosian had been playing more than 20 minutes a night. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – As a college freshman three years ago, sitting as a healthy scratch for weeks burned rookie Sabres defenseman Casey Nelson.
“It shut me down in college,” said Nelson, who will play his first NHL game since the opener tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs inside KeyBank Center.
Eventually, Nelson, 24, developed a different attitude – “You kind of grow up a little,” he said – and earned regular duty.
That experience in ... Read the full article
Auston Matthews speaks at the NHL Combine last year in Buffalo. ©2016, Margaret Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Auston Matthews first experienced the heated rivalry between the Sabres and Maple Leafs here at the NHL Draft, when the Toronto contingency wildly cheered the first overall pick and the hometown fans mercilessly booed their enemy.
“It’s a lot of booing,” Matthews told reporters Wednesday in Toronto after the Leafs prepared for tonight’s game inside KeyBank Center, the rookie’s first appearance here since getting selected June 24.
Expect another loud, bipartisan atmosphere throughout ... Read the full article