Ellis - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Corey Tropp happy with Blue Jackets, wanted to keep playing with Sabres

BUFFALO – Corey Tropp figured he could’ve stayed in the Sabres’ immediate plans. The rebuilding club kept several youngsters on the roster after the new regime jettisoned a few prospects.

The Sabres wanted to keep Tropp, but they figured the 24-year-old winger was better off playing regularly in Rochester. So they waived him prior to claiming winger Matt D’Agostini on Nov. 27.

Tropp, who played 34 NHL games two years ago, was claimed by ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Linus Omark to be scratched again tonight versus Blue Jackets

BUFFALO – The Sabres will only make one lineup change tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets, inserting Marcus Foligno for injured winger Matt D’Agostini.

That means winger Linus Omark, a healthy scratch for the first time in Wednesday’s 4-3 shootout loss in Toronto, will sit again. The slick Swede has one assist in nine games since being acquired from Edmonton.

What can Omark do to get back in?

“Not much else he ... Read the full article

Sabres captain Steve Ott wants to remain in Buffalo, believes rebuilding team not far away from contending

BUFFALO – The hospitality Steve Ott and his family have experienced from the community has been incredible, the captain said. Win or lose, the locals still love their Sabres.

Of course, the Sabres have done a lot of losing during Ott’s first year here.

The warm welcome and the struggles have left Ott imagining the Sabres’ resurgence. Right now, they’re rebuilding, still the NHL’s worst team.

But the 31-year-old, an unrestricted free agent following the ... Read the full article

Sabres rally to tie Leafs, earn tough road point in shootout loss

TORONTO – For two straight nights, the Buffalo Sabres stopped playing those drab, low-scoring affairs. Their anemic offense looked first-rate, scoring three goals in consecutive games for only the fourth time this season.

Still, it only translated to a single point they earned in Wednesday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs before 19,372 fans inside the Air Canada Centre.

To interim coach Ted Nolan, the Sabres fought for a tough road point.

“Third game ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tyler Myers a difference-maker in return from suspension against Leafs

TORONTO – Defenseman Tyler Myers’ absence was glaring during the waning minutes of Tuesday’s 4-3 home loss to Philadelphia. The Buffalo Sabres sorely needed a sturdy presence to calm the game down as the Flyers scored three times.

Myers, who returned from a three-game suspension in Wednesday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs, had been showcasing a steady, aggressive game prior to his ban.

“I think a lot of that is just bringing a ... Read the full article

Zenon Konopka thrilled to be with Sabres following long travel day

BUFFALO – Zenon Konopka’s travel ordeal began Friday night shortly after his flight from Minnesota landed in New York. First, the center’s short flight here was delayed four hours. Then the airline canceled it.

“The tough part was they said they could get me in Sunday,” Konopka, a waiver acquisition, said Saturday prior to his Sabres a debut, a 2-1 win against the New Jersey Devils inside the First Niagara Center. “I said, ‘That’s not ... Read the full article

Zenon Konopka arrives in Buffalo late, excited to make Sabres debut

BUFFALO – Zenon Konopka’s travel ordeal began Friday night shortly after landing in New York from Minnesota. First, the center’s flight was delayed four hours. Then the airline canceled it.

“The tough part was they said they could get me in Sunday,” Konopka, who was claimed on waivers by the Sabres on Friday, said this morning after skating briefly inside the First Niagara Center. “I said, ‘That’s not going to work.’”

Konopka eventually switched ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Ryan Miller knew he had to earn spot on Team USA’s Olympic squad

BUFFALO – Ryan Miller knew what most Olympic observers knew. Despite nearly backstopping Team USA to an unlikely gold medal in the 2010 Vancouver Games, the Sabres goalie wasn’t a lock to represent his country again this year.

The 33-year-old has performed inconsistently at times during recent seasons. The Sabres, meanwhile, have become the NHL’s worst team.

“It’s something that I wanted to work hard for and get myself back in the picture,” said Miller, ... Read the full article

Sabres want gritty Zenon Konopka to be role model for youngsters

BUFFALO – Zenon Konopka isn’t joining the Sabres just for his grittiness and supreme faceoff skills. In the 33-year-old center, a ferocious fighter, the team also possesses a hardworking veteran the youngsters can look up to.

“Those type of guys are really good role models for the younger players,” interim coach Ted Nolan said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center shortly after the Sabres claimed Konopka on waivers. “They last that long because they ... Read the full article

Sabres get rare score from John Scott, blow 2-goal lead before falling to Leafs in shootout

TORONTO – John Scott’s second career goal came early in his 200^th NHL game, 1,503 days after the hulking Buffalo Sabres tough guy scored his first one.

At 7:53 of first period in Friday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs, Matt Ellis’ rebound trickled to Scott in the slot, and – much to the shock of the 19,405 fans watching – he beat Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier.

“I seem to do ... Read the full article