Eichel - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander ready to seize chance in NHL

BUFFALO – On Feb. 27, Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander played his 13th straight game without scoring a goal. At that point, nearly five months into his third AHL campaign, the chances of the slick winger earning a recall looked slim.

Nylander, 21, enjoyed a strong training camp this season, nearly forcing the Sabres to keep him. The Swede parlayed that into a terrific start with the Rochester Americans, scoring six goals and 17 points ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel frustrated by suspension: ‘I don’t agree with it’

BUFFALO – Phil Housley wouldn’t go there. The Sabres coach simply said he disagreed with the two-game suspension the NHL slapped on center Jack Eichel, his captain and leading scorer, and left it at that.

But an aggravated Eichel offered a detailed description of the illegal check to the head he laid on Avalanche forward Carl Soderberg in Saturday afternoon’s 3-0 loss in Colorado.

The hit, Eichel said Monday, was legal and he shouldn’t ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel unhappy with suspension, says hit was legal

BUFFALO – Sabres captain Jack Eichel and coach Phil Housley don’t like the two-game suspension the NHL slapped on the team’s leading scorer for an illegal check to Carl Soderberg’s head in Saturday afternoon’s 3-0 loss in Colorado.

“We have to stand by it, but I don’t agree with it,” an irked Eichel said this afternoon following practice inside KeyBank Center. “Obviously, if you look at the hit and you look at their rule book, ... Read the full article

NHL suspends Sabres’ Jack Eichel two games for illegal check to head

BUFFALO – The NHL has suspended Sabres captain Jack Eichel two games for an illegal check to Avalanche forward Carl Soderberg’s head in Saturday afternoon’s 3-0 loss in Colorado.

Eichel, the Sabres’ leading scorer with 72 points in 65 appearances, will miss two home games: Tuesday’s against the Dallas Stars and Thursday’s versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In announcing the suspension Sunday night, the NHL Department of Player Safety said Eichel could’ve avoided head contact with ... Read the full article

Sabres recall prospect Alexander Nylander from Amerks

A four-game goal streak has helped Buffalo Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander earn his first trip to the NHL this season.

The Sabres recalled the Swede, the eighth overall pick in 2016, from the Rochester Americans today.

They need an extra forward because the NHL suspended captain Jack Eichel two games today for an illegal check to the head.

Nylander, 21, has been scorching his month. Following a 15-game stretch in which he produced just one ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel to have hearing with NHL following hit

Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety today for his illegal check to forward Carl Soderberg’s head Saturday afternoon.

Update: Eichel has been suspended two games.

Eichel, 22, was penalized two minutes for the hit 14:48 into the second period of the Sabres’ 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

The NHL All-Star has no history of suspensions.... Read the full article

Second-period outburst helps Oilers down Sabres

BUFFALO – Late in the second period Monday, barely two minutes after Zack Kassian’s goal ignited the Edmonton Oilers, Sabres winger Jason Pominville committed a rare defensive-zone gaffe.

Pominville sensed a battle coming along the left boards, so he zeroed in on the puck. As he followed the play, he lost track of his man, allowing Darnell Nurse to slip past him from the point into the left circle.

A second later, the Oilers defenseman ... Read the full article

Loss to Maple Leafs essentially dashes Sabres’ faint playoff hopes

TORONTO – Now back to reality. A night after a thrilling come-from-behind victory generated some optimism, the Buffalo Sabres reverted to their all-too-familiar form Saturday, falling 5-2 to the Maple Leafs.

The loss, the Sabres’ seventh in nine outings, should extinguish their faint playoff hopes. Right now, the 11th-place team trails the Columbus Blue Jackets by seven points for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.

Forget that the Sabres rattled off a 10-game winning streak ... Read the full article

Conor Sheary busts out, helps Sabres down Penguins in overtime

BUFFALO – For months, Conor Sheary’s performances had mostly been underwhelming.

As the Sabres have played some of their most important games in years, Sheary, 26, has usually been silent, sometimes going weeks without scoring a goal.

No one on the Sabres has played more meaningful NHL games than Sheary. Just four seasons into his NHL career, the diminutive winger has won two Stanley Cups and played 55 playoff contests.

Sooner or later, it felt ... Read the full article

Sabres hope adding established player in Brandon Montour buoys them

TORONTO – When Jason Botterill acquired high-scoring winger Jeff Skinner last summer, the general manager said he underestimated how much adding an established NHL talent to the Buffalo Sabres would excite his players.

“It wasn’t a situation talking about futures or a prospect,” Botterill told reporters Monday in Buffalo. “He was a player that helped our group right now.”

Botterill’s latest acquisition before Monday’s trade deadline, puck-moving defenseman Brandon Montour, could have the same effect ... Read the full article