Boston Bruins - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres prospect Justin Bailey ready for fresh opportunity

BUFFALO – Instead of being given a spot on a scoring line Friday, winger Justin Bailey, the AHL’s hottest scorer, mostly practiced beside center Derek Grant and Nick Deslauriers, an odd place for one of the Sabres’ top prospects.

Grant and Deslauriers have zero goals and three assists between them in 45 games this season. Incredibly, Grant hasn’t scored a goal in 71 career NHL appearances. Deslauriers has more fights (14) than goals ... Read the full article

Stunned Sabres blow early lead, lose critical game to Bruins

BUFFALO – Ten minutes after Thursday’s demoralizing 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins, the anger and shock that accompanies blowing a two-goal lead hadn’t worn off. As some stunned Sabres spoke quietly, cursing from a restricted area behind the dressing room occasionally erupted.

It was that kind of loss for the Sabres, a team already fighting for its playoff life.

The Sabres, slow starters all season, pounced on the Bruins, playing perhaps their best hockey ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Tyler Ennis joins teammates on ice

BUFFALO – Without his explosiveness and the ability to juke opponents, speedy Sabres winger Tyler Ennis believes he’s “pretty useless out there.”

“I have to be able to use my agility, my speed, my quickness to create space,” Ennis said Thursday morning after skating with his teammates inside KeyBank Center.

Ennis, 27, couldn’t do any of that earlier this season. The longest-tenured Sabre said he felt something “gradually getting worse” in his groin. An examination ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Marcus Foligno fighting often

BUFFALO – In the last four games, Sabres winger Marcus Foligno has fought three times, as many scraps as the young veteran had in his previous 58 outings.

Why has Foligno, 25, been fighting so much recently?

“There’s games where I feel like we haven’t played our best, so you need a spark … you might show a little bit of frustration out there,” Foligno said Wednesday inside KeyBank Center.

Frustration and payback. In ... Read the full article

Tyler Ennis skates with Sabres, has no timetable for return

BUFFALO – Without his explosiveness and the ability to juke opponents, speedy Sabres winger Tyler Ennis believes he’s “pretty useless out there.”

“I have to be able to use my agility, my speed, my quickness to create space,” Ennis said this morning after skating with his teammates inside KeyBank Center.

Ennis, 27, couldn’t do any of that earlier this season. The longest-tenured Sabre said he felt something “gradually getting worse” in his groin. An examination ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel refreshed for second half after short break

BUFFALO – Long after Sabres center Jack Eichel leaves the rink, his struggles still weigh heavy in his mind.

“I take it home,” Eichel said Wednesday after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s tilt against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center.

So naturally, Eichel’s frustration was visible as his career-long five-game pointless streak hit as the Sabres lost four straight contests before their Christmas break.

“You could see it in his body language,” Sabres coach Dan ... Read the full article

Sabres’ offense struggles again in loss to Bruins

BUFFALO – Back to reality. Following two high-scoring, entertaining wins last week, the Sabres reverted back into their regular form Saturday afternoon, losing 2-1 to the Boston Bruins in a drab affair inside KeyBank Center.

Incredibly, it was the Sabres’ ninth 2-1 game this season. They’ve only played 24 times. It marked the 12th time they’ve scored one goal or less.

After three early shots, the Sabres went the final 15:16 of the first period ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Brendan Guhle stands out in NHL debut

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

Sabres prospect Brendan Guhle ready for NHL debut

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

Sabres having fun, thinking playoffs again with Jack Eichel back

BUFFALO – It was Sunday morning, more than two days before center Jack Eichel finally returned from his 21-game absence, when coach Dan Bylsma first noticed a change in his Sabres, owners of the NHL’s worst offense.

Thanks to Eichel’s presence in practice, Bylsma said he saw “confidence and an excitement brewing about us being able to score goals and how we need to play.”

Never mind the Sabres had lost eight of their ... Read the full article