Flynn - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres trade assets at deadline, weaken NHL’s worst roster

BUFFALO – The Sabres’ deals before Monday’s trade deadline stripped the NHL’s worst team of four assets. Gone are starting goalie Michal Neuvirth, first-line winger Chris Stewart and centers Brian Flynn and Torrey Mitchell, two checkers thrust into bigger roles thanks to the rebuilding team’s shortage of talent.

In return, the Sabres received, well, nothing very notable or of immediate help. Only one NHL player, backup goalie Chad Johnson, came back. They also added four ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Brian Flynn excited for opportunity with Canadiens

BUFFALO – Less than three years ago, Brian Flynn was an undrafted and mostly unknown youngster at the University of Maine. The versatile forward’s signing with the Sabres barely registered with the fan base.

But Flynn quickly and quietly worked himself into a strong NHL prospect.

After less than a season in Rochester, Flynn debuted with the Sabres in 2012-13. The 26-year-old played regularly until they dealt him to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday for ... Read the full article

Sabres GM Tim Murray on trade deadline: ‘It’s never a good day to give good people away’

BUFFALO – Here are some highlights from Sabres general manager Tim Murray’s chat with the media after making four deals before the 3 p.m. trade deadline.

The deals netted the Sabres one NHL player, backup goalie Chad Johnson. Centers Brian Flynn and Torrey Mitchell, goalie Michal Neuvirth and winger Chris Stewart were traded.

On what type of day it was:

“Was it a good day? It’s never a good day to give good people away. ... Read the full article

Brian Flynn knew Sabres could trade him

BUFFALO – Less than three years ago, Brian Flynn was an undrafted and mostly unknown prospect at the University of Maine. The versatile forward’s signing with the Sabres barely registered with the fan base.

But Flynn quickly and quietly worked himself into a strong NHL prospect.

After less than a season in Rochester, Flynn debuted with the Sabres in 2012-13. The 26-year-old played regularly until they dealt him to the Montreal Canadiens for a fifth-round ... Read the full article

Sabres trade Brian Flynn to Canadiens

BUFFALO – The Sabres have traded center Brian Flynn to the Montreal Canadiens for a fifth-round pick in 2016.

Flynn has five goals and 17 points in 54 games this season. The 26-year-old, a free agent from the University of Maine, signed with Sabres in 2012.

The Boston native has 17 goals and 41 points in 159 NHL games.

Flynn, a strong checker who can play center and wing, played 15 minutes, 53 seconds a ... Read the full article

Big third period pushes Sabres past Canucks

BUFFALO – Of course, the Sabres’ best stretch in two months could end soon. The trade deadline is three days away. The rebuilding club will almost certainly deal some of its top assets.

If Thursday’s 6-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks was the final game for a few players, they gave the Sabres one heck of a goodbye before a capacity crowd of 19,070 fans inside the First Niagara Center.

Consider the exploits of these ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zemgus Girgensons will play again this season

BUFFALO – Top Sabres center Zemgus Girgensons, who blocked a shot with his right ankle Tuesday, will play again this season, coach Ted Nolan said this morning.

Nolan hinted Girgensons could be finished after James Wisniewski’s shot hit the Latvian halfway through the 4-2 win in Columbus.

“It’s bad but not as bad as we thought,” Nolan said inside the First Niagara Center.

Nolan wouldn’t say if Girgensons’ ankle was broken.

“It could be, ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Cody Hodgson scratched again; Marcus Foligno scores in return

BUFFALO – Some nights, Ted Nolan said, he lies awake in bed wondering how he can fix Cody Hodgson, his struggling winger. Right now, the Sabres coach and his staff can’t get through to the 24-year-old, who might be enduring the worst season of any NHL forward.

Nolan scratched Hodgson, who has two goals and eight points in 51 games this season, for Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders, the third time ... Read the full article

Sabres don’t want moral victory from loss to Blues

BUFFALO – Thursday’s 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues was the Sabres’ 34^th defeat this season and their 15^th setback in the last 16 games. But against an NHL powerhouse, the league’s worst team held its own, carrying the play for stretches and generating some prime scoring chances.

If the Sabres converted a couple of opportunities – they had two clear-cut breakaways – then they might have upset the NHL’s hottest team. Instead, ... Read the full article

Sabres hopeful long break can help rejuvenate season

BUFFALO – Instead of jetting to a tropical locale during the NHL All-Star break, Sabres coach Ted Nolan went home to Northern Ontario to relax a bit and clear his mind.

“Guys go to beaches,” Nolan said Monday afternoon, “I go to snow and shovel my deck off and enjoy the family and friends.”

The Sabres, losers of a franchise-record 11 straight games in regulation entering tonight’s tilt in Calgary, sorely needed some extended time ... Read the full article