WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
December Edition
Shawn Thornton left early Thursday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Boston tough guy Shawn Thornton will be out seven to 10 days after suffering a concussion during his fight with new Sabres enforcer John Scott, the Bruins announced today.
The two heavyweights scrapped 2:53 into the Sabres’ 7-4 win Thursday. Scott quickly dropped Thornton with a few punches.
Thornton immediately left the game and never returned. Scott, meanwhile, skated 3:34.
The bout could already be one of the most popular in the ... Read the full article
Mike Weber (center) tried to keep James van Riemsdyk out of Ryan Miller’s crease Tuesday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The cycle repeats each year. Inevitably, Mike Weber begins the season as the Sabres’ seventh or eighth defenseman, a spare part.
Weber sat the first eight games and 20 of the opening 22 contests as a healthy scratch in 2010-11. The 25-year-old watched the first 10 games last season.
The Pittsburgh native couldn’t break the trend this year, sitting five times before Sabres coach Lindy Ruff dressed him for Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The usual fireworks – the goals, fights, yapping and other signs of hatred – never really materialized Friday between the Sabres and Boston Bruins.
Instead, the heated Northeast Division rivals, who had played three memorable games this season, engaged in a dull, low-chance affair inside a pretty quiet First Niagara Center.
The Sabres don’t care about style, though, only the two points a tight 2-1 shootout triumph, their third straight victory, moved them ... Read the full article
Corey Tropp recently sat out a month recovering from a concussion. ©2012, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
BUFFALO – On Dec. 9 against Florida, Dmitry Kulikov’s wicked hit concussed gritty Sabres winger Corey Tropp, ending the rookie’s third recall early. Tropp wouldn’t fully recover for nearly two months.
When he had supposedly healed, the Sabres sent Tropp to Rochester on Jan. 2. But the 22-year-old responded poorly to his first three appearances, so the Americans shut him down until Feb. 8, giving him a full month between games.
“It was frustrating at ... Read the full article
Jason Pominville, who usually starts seasons slowly, compiled 14 points in October. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sixty games into the season, Jason Pominville hasn’t shown any signs of letting up. With five points in the last two contests, the Sabres captain already has 23 goals and 59 points, seven more than he had all of last season in 13 fewer appearances.
In a disappointing year for the Sabres, Pominville’s been the only constant presence, showcasing a remarkable consistency right from opening night, when a goal and two assists began ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Bruins winger Brad Marchand, a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, called Buffalo “the worst place in the NHL” during an appearance on a Boston radio station.
“I’m not too excited to go there,” Marchand told WEEI on Thursday morning, “but I’ll be excited to leave.”
Ouch!
Marchand apologized later inside the First Niagara Center. Well, sort of.
“I never meant to offend anyone,” Marchand said after the Bruins prepared for tonight’s game against ... Read the full article