WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Johan Larsson tips the puck past Chicago goalie Scott Darling on Friday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
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
Bryan Trottier is one of the New York Islanders’ all-time greats. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
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
T.J. Brennan played 21 games with the Sabres. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In the beginning, former Sabres prospect T.J. Brennan followed a normal path to the NHL. The high-scoring defenseman developed four seasons in the AHL before briefly cracking the Sabres two years ago.
Back then, Brennan, who grew up in New Jersey playing lacrosse, didn’t fully understand what it took to make the NHL.
“I’ve always been kind of learn as I go,” Brennan said Wednesday prior to the Sabres’ 4-3 win against the ... Read the full article
Tyler Ennis (63) jostles with Florida’s Brian Campbell earlier this season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sometimes, Sabres winger Tyler Ennis said, he has to realize he’s only 5-foot-5 and not a 6-foot-3 behemoth. Trying to thump a larger opponent usually isn’t the best idea.
Ennis, who’s listed at 5-foot-9, went after someone bigger Thursday and paid the price, suffering an upper-body injury. The Sabres’ top offensive threat missed two games but will return tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Maybe I got to tone down the hits,” Ennis ... Read the full article
Sabres goalie Anders Lindback tries to stop New Jersey’s Steve Bernier (18) with Andre Benoit’s (61) help March 20. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Just like that, 29th place – a precarious spot that wouldn’t guarantee the Sabres either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel, the mega-draft prospects they covet – is back in play.
Sorry, fans, the race isn’t over yet. The Sabres’ 4-1 victory Monday in Arizona moved them to within four points of the Coyotes, who looked awful throughout the night.
The 30th-place Sabres also have a game in hand, so ... Read the full article
Arizona goalie Mike Smith pokes the puck away from Tyler Ennis on Thursday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sometimes you focus so much on the future, Sabres coach Ted Nolan said, the present can easily be forgotten about.
When the rebuilding Sabres surround Tyler Ennis with better talent in the coming years, the slick winger could become one of the NHL’s elite talents.
But right now, the 25-year-old, who will likely miss tonight’s game with an upper-body injury, is a special player. The former first-round pick is often the Sabres’ only ... Read the full article
Nikita Zadorov (51) skates in on Philadelphia’s R.J. Umberger earlier this year. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes, Sabres defenseman Nikita Zadorov was benched, skating only nine minutes, 46 seconds.
“Maybe 10 minutes too much,” Sabres coach Ted Nolan said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center.
Yikes!
Expect the 19-year-old rookie to be scratched Saturday in Colorado. Nolan has clearly grown tired of the Russian’s poor work habits.
“When you’re going for certain things, the expectations and what you have to ... Read the full article
Brian Gionta is stopped by New York Rangers goalie Mackenzie Skapski earlier this season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Unlike his teammate Mike Weber, who ripped the hometown fans, Sabres captain Brian Gionta wouldn’t go there.
Gionta played almost 25 minutes in the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime loss Thursday, a game in which the hometown fans rooted for the Arizona Coyotes. Surely, the veteran heard the loud cheering inside the First Niagara Center.
“No, our fans were cheering for us,” Gionta insisted this afternoon. “We have great fans. We have a great ... Read the full article
Sabres goalie Matt Hackett stops Arizona’s Shane Doan on Thursday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Mike Weber spoke passionately, like a man who felt jilted. The gritty defenseman had just experienced perhaps the oddest game of his career, the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes.
The payoff, the prize for all the “suffering” for two seasons had been laid in front of Sabres fans Thursday, creating a bizarre scene inside the First Niagara Center that will likely never be repeated.
A loss to the 29th... Read the full article
Tim Schaller has played 13 NHL games this season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
With Tyler Ennis ill and Jerry D’Amigo recovering from a high-stick, the Buffalo Sabres have recalled Tim Schaller from Rochester for tonight’s road game against the Dallas Stats.
Schaller has one goal and two points in 13 NHL games this season. The Sabres sent him back to the Americans on Friday.
The 24-year-old has 15 goals and 40 points in 58 AHL contests.... Read the full article