WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Rasmus Ristolainen has enjoyed the Sabres’ hot start. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – Instead of offering a short reply, Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen kept talking, going into detail why he enjoys playing for Ralph Krueger, his fifth coach in seven years.
By his standards, Ristolainen, a man of few words, was gushing.
“I like whatever he does,” Ristolainen said Thursday inside KeyBank Center. “I like how he communicates with us. I like the way he talks. He talks really powerfully and everyone listens. He’s kind of ... Read the full article
John Gilmour made his season debut Friday. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – John Gilmour had never waited so long to play a game. After appearing in the Sabres’ preseason finale Sept. 27, the defenseman sat out 11 contests before making his season debut Friday.
So Gilmour, the Sabres’ spare defender, patiently waited 28 days for his opportunity to materialize as the blue line remained healthy.
Gilmour, of course, acknowledged being a healthy scratch can be difficult. But he still reveled in the Sabres’ early-season success.... Read the full article
Buffalo and the Sabres are close to Phil Housley’s heart. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – After the Sabres fired Phil Housley on April 7, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to coach again.
Housley’s dismissal after two losing seasons hit him hard. The Sabres, a team he starred for in the 1980s, and Buffalo are close to his heart.
The Hall of Fame defenseman desperately wanted to lead the Sabres back to glory.
“It’s funny, because you sort of think of what you could’ve done differently,” Housley said ... Read the full article
Arizona hired Phil Housley in late June. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – After the Sabres fired Phil Housley on April 7, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to coach again.
Housley’s dismissal after two losing seasons hit him hard. The Sabres, a team he starred for in the 1980s, and Buffalo are close to his heart.
He desperately wanted to lead the team back to glory.
“It’s funny, because you sort of think of what you could’ve done differently,” Housley said this morning inside KeyBank ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin has had a strong offensive start this season. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Having already produced seven points through five games, Rasmus Dahlin could be in the early stages of the greatest offensive season ever enjoyed by a Sabres defenseman.
Dahlin, of course, will likely cool off. At his current pace entering this afternoon’s home game against the Dallas Stars, he would score 115 points over an 82-game campaign.
Only five NHL defensemen have ever recorded a 100-point season. The last one, Brian Leetch, hit the ... Read the full article
Conor Sheary scored twice Thursday. ©2019, Janet Schultz
PITTSBURGH – Throughout training camp, coach Ralph Krueger insisted his Sabres had embraced the new ideas he and his coaching staff brought to Buffalo.
Krueger wants the Sabres to play fast, stay connected and utilize their instincts. It might take sacrificing a little offense, but in the end, he believes they can reap rewards from the aggressive new approach.
Based on Thursday’s 3-1, season-opening win against the Penguins, Krueger’s message is getting through to the ... Read the full article
Johan Larsson has been one of the Sabres’ mainstays. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – Five coaches and three general managers later, Sabres forward Johan Larsson is still here.
Earlier in training camp, there was speculation Larsson’s long tenure with the Sabres could be ending.
The Sabres have boosted their depth. They have Ralph Krueger, another new coach.
But it sure sounds like Larsson, a mainstay throughout all the losing and upheaval, has possibly secured a roster spot to start his seventh season.... Read the full article
Evan Rodrigues (71) battles Boston’s Zdeno Chara last season. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – When Sabres forward Evan Rodrigues began examining some information before his arbitration hearing in late July, he learned something interesting.
“Last year, I started in every single position but first-line left wing,” Rodrigues said Monday inside KeyBank Center. “So that kind of shows that I can play in every position. That just speaks to the belief that I have in myself and the belief that I’m a very valuable NHL player.”
Rodrigues’ versatility ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo struggled through last season. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Long after perhaps the worst season of Kyle Okposo’s 12-year NHL career mercifully ended, everything about it – the Sabres’ freefall down the standings, his meager production – kept weighing on the veteran winger.
“It stayed with me for a long time,” a candid Okposo told the Times Herald following Monday’s session of training camp inside KeyBank Center.
These days, Okposo, 31, sounds happy.
Instead of returning to Minnesota following the season, Okposo ... Read the full article
Sam Reinhart has never played an NHL playoff game. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – Since the Sabres drafted high-scoring winger Sam Reinhart second overall in 2014, the team has employed four coaches, a ridiculous number.
Not surprisingly, Reinhart, who has played 331 regular-season NHL games, has never sniffed the postseason.
But last spring, Reinhart, 23, played some meaningful contests as Team Canada captured a silver medal at the World Championship in Slovakia. In 2016, fresh off his rookie season, he won a gold medal at the tournament.... Read the full article