Chicago Blackhawks - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Matt Moulson moving around Sabres lineup

BUFFALO – Early in Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, Sabres winger Matt Moulson skated as a fourth-liner beside fill-in center Nick Deslauriers and Tyler Ennis.

But Moulson, as he has all season, didn’t stay with the same linemates long inside KeyBank Center.

Jack Eichel filled in for Deslauriers, a winger with zero points this season. Moulson also played on the top power-play unit, a promotion with winger Sam Reinhart out.

Moulson, 33, has ... Read the full article

Blackhawks have Sabres’ number; Taylor Fedun assigned to Amerks

BUFFALO – Would you look at that. Thanks to a three-game winning streak, the Sabres have jumped up the standings to within two points of the Atlantic Division’s final playoff spot and the last wild card spot entering tonight’s tilt with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Of course, teams with games in hand stand between them and those coveted spots. Still, the Sabres are finally starting to make a surge.

The Sabres have won three games in ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Justin Bailey’s first NHL goal emotional for mother

WILLIAMSVILLE – The emotional scene that followed Buffalo Sabres rookie Justin Bailey’s first NHL goal Tuesday night “was insane,” said his mother, Karen Buscaglia.

“I cried instantly when he scored,” said Buscaglia, who watched the game at her cousin’s house with five other family members. “Then I screamed and then I cried. We were just jumping up and down.”

As an elated Bailey celebrated in New York’s Madison Square Garden by bending over and pumping ... Read the full article

Sabres still work in progress halfway through season

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Dan Bylsma noticed almost immediately, way back in September, and it surprised him. Training camp had just started with an overhauled roster – about 10 new faces, in fact – yet his players were already forming close bonds.

“They enjoy being a part of this team and part of this group,” Bylsma said Thursday inside the First Niagara Center. “It has developed. It is a part of what we are. … ... Read the full article

Sabres blow late lead, lose shootout to Blackhawks

BUFFALO – Ten minutes after the Sabres’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks ended Saturday afternoon, center Ryan O’Reilly looked inconsolable.

“It’s embarrassing, pathetic and it’s not good enough,” O’Reilly said quietly.

Minutes earlier, with the Sabres down three men and clinging to a 2-1 lead, O’Reilly had nearly sealed the game, narrowly missing an empty net from his own blue line.

The Blackhawks then seized their fresh opportunity during a frantic finish, getting ... Read the full article

Patrick Kane stars in Blackhawks’ win over Sabres

BUFFALO – The only cheers for Patrick Kane came before his starring role in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 3-2 win against the Sabres on Saturday, when the South Buffalo native was announced in the starting lineup.

Then a large portion of the 18,870 fans inside the First Niagara Center booed their hometown superstar all afternoon – from the first period until he scored the dramatic tying goal late in regulation and the slick shootout winner.

Kane, ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Matt Moulson to skate on fourth line

BUFFALO – Struggling Sabres winger Matt Moulson, who hasn’t scored a goal in 21 straight games, will skate on the fourth line this afternoon against the Chicago Blackhawks, coach Dan Bylsma said.

“He’s down on the fourth line,” Bylsma said inside the First Niagara Center. “That doesn’t really change what we need to see from him, what he needs to bring.”

Moulson, 32, needs to score goals. He has only four in 32 games. ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Chad Johnson showcasing calm style

BUFFALO – On the ice, despite the chaos that often develops around his crease, Sabres goalie Chad Johnson usually showcases a cool demeanor.

When Johnson’s dialed in – and that’s been nearly all season – he can almost make hockey’s toughest position look easy. The veteran, 29, often reads plays and shots perfectly, making difficult saves look routine.

Johnson mostly tends goal calmly.

“I’ve always been a guy that sort of keeps things simple,” Johnson ... Read the full article

Blackhawks’ late rally stuns Sabres

BUFFALO – In 47 seconds late Friday, the mood inside the First Niagara Center changed dramatically. The Sabres fans worrying their team would pull its most unlikely upset this trying season felt relieved as mighty Chicago Blackhawks quickly roared back.

When Chicago star Jonathan Toews tied it with 1:43 left, the building, which was filled with red Blackhawks jerseys, erupted.

Some hometown fans who had remained quiet as the Sabres erased an early 2-0 deficit ... Read the full article

Sabres assistant coach Bryan Trottier has special memories of Nassau Coliseum

BUFFALO – New York Islanders legend Bryan Trottier remembers the noise. The roar inside Nassau Coliseum would become deafening, funneling down from the stands to the ice.

“To the point where you’re reading lips,” Trottier, a Sabres assistant coach, said Friday. “Until you actually experience it, it’s just fantastic.”

The Isles are moving to bigger and better digs 24 miles away next season, the shiny Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Trottier, a Hall of Famer who ... Read the full article