WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Sam Reinhart should join Rochester soon. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Expect the Sabres’ final two games this season – Friday’s road tilt in Columbus and Saturday’s finale against Pittsburgh – to be slightly more intense than Monday’s 4-3 home win against Carolina, a drab affair.
The Blue Jackets, having won nine straight games recently, are scorching. The Penguins might need the game to make the playoffs.
“Carolina’s out, we’re out,” Sabres coach Ted Nolan said. “When you have two out, it’s tougher. But ... Read the full article
The Sabres selected Nick Baptiste in the third round in 2013. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
Joining a loaded Erie Otters team featuring Connor McDavid and two other slick 100-point scorers earlier this season has allowed Buffalo Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste to sharpen and expand his game before he begins his pro career.
The Ontario Hockey League powerhouse doesn’t rely on the winger’s offense.
The Otters have McDavid, hockey’s biggest prospect in a decade; Dylan Strome, the league’s leading scorer; and Alex DeBrincat, who quietly scored 51 goals, more than ... Read the full article
Marcus Foligno has been playing big minutes. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – For about 24 hours, Marcus Foligno enjoyed the family’s bragging rights. The Sabres winger felt good after scoring twice Friday, his first goals in 24 games.
Then Foligno’s older brother, Nick, a breakout star with the Columbus Blue Jackets, outdid him Saturday, scoring his first NHL hat trick and hitting the prestigious 30-goal, 70-point marks.
“He had to go out and one-up me,” Marcus Foligno joked Monday prior to the Sabres’ 4-3 win ... Read the full article
Patrick Kaleta had tears in his eyes when he was presented a jersey with an ‘A’ sewn on. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – It was Wednesday morning, and before the Sabres hit the ice, Ted Nolan had some business to take care of in a team meeting. The coach handed Mike Weber a jersey, which the defenseman then tossed to winger Patrick Kaleta.
The jersey was Kaleta’s No. 36 with an ‘A’ stitched on it, meaning Weber wanted the heart-and-soul player to take over his alternate captaincy.
Emotion overwhelmed Kaleta. The 28-year-old Angola native had ... Read the full article
Patrick Kaleta wore the ‘A’ for the first time Wednesday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – It was Wednesday morning, and before the Sabres hit the ice, Ted Nolan had some business to take care of in a team meeting. The coach handed Mike Weber a jersey, which the defenseman then tossed to winger Patrick Kaleta.
The jersey was Kaleta’s No. 36 with an ‘A’ stitched on it, meaning Weber wanted the heart-and-soul player to take over his alternate captaincy.
Emotion overwhelmed Kaleta. The 28-year-old Angola native had ... 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
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
Anders Lindback has a .934 save percentage with the Sabres. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Anders Lindback likes to take a big-picture approach, so the Sabres goalie will examine his entire season when it ends. The Swede’s six-game hot streak means little to him right now.
The 26-year-old, a spare part before the March 2 trade deadline, has quickly morphed into a stud in net, posting a 2.41 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage in seven appearances (six starts) with his new club.
Lindback dazzled in his ... Read the full article
Zach Bogosian blocked a shot Saturday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian, who left Saturday’s 6-1 loss in Washington after blocking an Alex Ovechkin shot with his right leg, should play Wednesday in Toronto.
“I’m good to go,” Bogosian said following practice today inside the First Niagara Center. “Those things happen sometimes it takes a few days to settle down. It’s all good.”
Defenseman Andrej Meszaros, who left earlier in the game with a hand injury, also practiced.
Sabres coach Ted ... Read the full article
The Sabres could call on Matt Hackett often down the stretch. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In less than a year, Sabres prospect Matt Hackett morphed from Ryan Miller’s possible heir apparent into an afterthought, the fifth goalie on the rebuilding team’s depth chart.
Hackett struggled last year in Rochester, posting career-worst numbers. Then the 25-year-old tore up his knee during a late-season recall, shelving him for nine months.
As Hackett rehabbed, Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth battled for the Sabres’ starting job. In Rochester, Nathan Lieuwen and Andrey ... Read the full article