WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
December Edition
Justin Bailey has played 19 straight games. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Right now, thanks to his torrid goal-scoring run in the AHL and some injuries with the big club, Sabres winger Justin Bailey has the best opportunity of his young career to stick in the NHL for good.
For the last five weeks, the speedy Bailey, 21, has enjoyed regular duty, playing 19 straight games. Some contests the Williamsville native has skated on a top line.
“It’s a really big one,” Sabres coach Dan ... Read the full article
Jake McCabe (29) knows a few more wins would have the Sabres in the thick of the playoff race. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In what has become another disappointing season destined to end without a playoff appearance, the Sabres have endured 39 defeats. A few have been blowouts, but the club has usually been highly competitive, losing 20 one-goal affairs.
The Sabres have taken leads deep into games before melting down, losing seven contests in which they were up entering the third period.
Want a telltale sign of a team learning how to win? Try an ... Read the full article
Evander Kane (9) battles Chicago’s Duncan Keith on Sunday. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – It’s funny what a short three-game winning streak and few strong weeks can do for an NHL team.
After being given up for dead earlier this month, the Sabres have roared back into the playoff race, inching to within two points of the Atlantic Division’s final playoff spot and the wild card by Sunday afternoon.
Sure, clubs with games in hand stand between the Sabres and those coveted spots. Still, they’re back in ... Read the full article
Josh Gorges believes the Sabres have enough talent to make the playoffs. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – To witness the Sabres’ blueprint for success, go back to the first 20 minutes of Saturday’s 3-1 win in Toronto, a period in which they jumped out to a 3-0 lead by playing fast and hard against the Maple Leafs.
“If you look at the first period in Toronto, we didn’t do anything special,” Sabres goalie Robin Lehner said Monday inside KeyBank Center.
The Sabres dictated the pace by pouncing on loose pucks. ... Read the full article
Tonight will be Evan Rodrigues’ fifth NHL game. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
TORONTO – This afternoon, hours before his fifth NHL game, Buffalo Sabres rookie Evan Rodrigues couldn’t stop smiling.
“He’s always all smiles,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said inside the Air Canada Centre.
True, Rodrigues, 23, always seems to be grinning. But tonight’s tilt, which will be broadcast across Canada on “Hockey Night in Canada,” is extra special for Rodrigues, who grew up a Maple Leafs fan in Etobicoke, about 20 minutes from Toronto.
“It’s going ... Read the full article
Josh Gorges had a hard time sitting out. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The badgering has finally stopped. Josh Gorges is healthy, back playing after a hip injury cost him 12 games. So Sabres coach Dan Bylsma can walk by the defenseman again without getting an earful.
“Josh has been one miserable guy to be around,” Bylsma said Saturday morning. “I don’t walk by him without him saying he’s ready to play, and that was about 15 days ago.”
Gorges, 32, played in Saturday’s 4-0 win ... Read the full article
Josh Gorges has been battling an odd hip problem. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The badgering has finally stopped. Josh Gorges is healthy, ready to return from a hip injury that cost him the last 12 games. So Sabres coach Dan Bylsma can walk by the defenseman again without getting an earful.
“Josh has been one miserable guy to be around,” Bylsma, who has called Gorges “crusty,” said this morning inside KeyBank Center. “I don’t walk by him without him saying he’s ready to play, and that ... Read the full article
Jake McCabe (29) missed five games. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – For weeks, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said, defenseman Josh Gorges “has been one miserable guy to be around.”
“I don’t walk by him without him saying he’s ready to play, and that was about 15 days ago,” Bylsma said this morning inside KeyBank Center.
Gorges, out the last 12 games with a hip injury, can finally stop badgering Bylsma. He will return tonight against the Ottawa Senators. So will defenseman Jake McCabe, ... Read the full article
Justin Falk has bounced around the NHL for years. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – On Wednesday, after almost three months of commuting back and forth to Rochester, Sabres defenseman Justin Falk moved his family into an extended-stay hotel here.
For Falk, who has shuttled between the NHL and minors for years, having his wife and two children close by, of course, offers some comfort.
“That helps … just to have a little sense of feeling at home,” said Falk, who said he sometimes made the 75-mile drive ... Read the full article
Anders Nilsson tries to stop the New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider on Dec. 1. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Very quietly, after years of ineptitude on home ice, the Sabres have recently morphed into a strong team at KeyBank Center, winning four straight games.
Of course, four consecutive home victories isn’t overly impressive. But for the Sabres, who haven’t finished above .500 at home since 2012-13, the streak represents progress.
It also gives them some hope. With each loss, their slim playoff chances decrease. But tonight’s tilt against the New York Rangers ... Read the full article