Ennis - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres goalie Aaron Dell could face suspension for hit on Drake Batherson

In a season in which they’ve lost 29 of their 42 games and dropped six contests by four or more goals, the Buffalo Sabres have offered some pretty dismal performances.

Tuesday’s ugly 5-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre ranks among the worst.

The Sabres looked downright awful after a solid start, allowing three goals in a span of 2 minutes, 55 seconds late in the first period and losing for the ... Read the full article

Five ‘Sabres Classics’ against rivals, including ‘May Day’ game, to air

Five more “Sabres Classics” – this time games featuring Buffalo’s fiercest rivals, including the wild “May Day” playoff win over the Boston Bruins – will be rebroadcast on MSG next week.

The games are being aired because the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NHL to suspend its season indefinitely March 12.... Read the full article

Sabres lose game to Senators, goalie Linus Ullmark to injury

BUFFALO – Sabres captain Jack Eichel walked into the dressing room following Tuesday’s embarrassing 5-2 loss to the hapless Ottawa Senators seething.

At first, the center offered terse answers. He stared at a reporter who asked about the Sabres’ need for roster help.

But Eichel, whose Sabres just enjoyed a 10-day break between games, eventually opened up a little, letting his frustrations spew out.

Not only had one of the NHL’s also-rans just beaten the ... Read the full article

To acquire Michael Frolik from Flames, Sabres had to trade Marco Scandella

BUFFALO – When the Sabres traded defenseman Marco Scandella to the Montreal Canadiens shortly before Thursday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers, it felt like another deal could be imminent.

The Sabres need help at forward. Why would they dish Scandella, 29, for or a fourth-round pick in 2020? They’re trying to win now, right?

Well, shortly after the Sabres announced the deal, they traded the pick they received from the Canadiens to the ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Tyler Ennis enjoying life with Senators

BUFFALO – Ten years and four teams later, former Sabres winger Tyler Ennis is still enjoying life in the NHL.

“We got the best job in the world,” Ennis said prior to scoring his 122nd NHL goal in the Ottawa Senators’ 4-2 loss to the Sabres on Saturday inside KeyBank Center.

While stardom eluded Ennis, who made his NHL debut Nov. 14, 2009, he keeps finding work. Teams want the former first-round pick to be ... Read the full article

Offering another chance to ex-head coach could benefit Sabres

BUFFALO – Coaches often evolve or reinvent themselves following their failures. Sometimes they swallow their pride to do it. They might return to junior hockey or the minors and start riding buses again. They might take an assistant or development job.

Remember that as general manager Jason Botterill searches for the Sabres’ sixth coach in barely six years after firing Phil Housley on April 7.

Sometimes the best candidates aren’t the names being bandied about. ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Jason Pominville odd man out again

BUFFALO – Jason Pominville understands why he is sitting out. Having played 1,052 NHL games, the Sabres know what the veteran winger offers them.

Nine contests remain in a miserable season. The Sabres, who have fallen from first overall to sixth in the Atlantic Division, want to evaluate other players.

So the Sabres scratched Pominville, 36, for the second straight game Wednesday.

“It’s just the situation we’re at,” Pominville said prior to the 4-2 loss ... 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

Sabres notes: Marcus Foligno enjoying tenure with Wild

BUFFALO – This trip was more relaxing. A year ago, Marcus Foligno said he experienced “a lot of nerves” visiting here as an opponent.

“Now it’s just another road game,” said the Buffalo-born Foligno, who’s in his second season with the Minnesota Wild after spending six years with the Sabres.

He added: “It’s always special to come back to Buffalo. You get a little bit excited.”

Foligno, 27, has settled in nicely with the Wild, ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Tyler Ennis happy in fourth-line role with Maple Leafs

BUFFALO – Instead of being relied upon to produce offense, ex-Sabres winger Tyler Ennis is now a fourth-liner.

Sure, Ennis, 29, skates on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ second power-play unit. The former first-round pick even started the season on the No. 1 line beside center Auston Matthews and Patrick Marleau.

But Ennis is no longer the ultra-slick presence from his early days. The concussions he suffered in his final seasons with the Sabres helped stymie ... Read the full article