WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Calder Cup Playoffs Edition
Ryan O’Reilly will miss his fifth straight game. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – If the Sabres were participating in the playoffs right now, then, yes, Ryan O’Reilly would be playing. But the center wants to be smart handling his recovery from an oblique injury.
That means O’Reilly, who skated with his teammates this morning, will miss his fifth straight game tonight against the Calgary Flames.
“If it was the playoffs, it would be a different situation,” a sweaty O’Reilly said this morning after leaving the KeyBank ... Read the full article
Anders Nilsson makes a save in the second period on Saturday. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In just five games with the Sabres, goalie Anders Nilsson has already earned the kind of confidence from his coach that often takes years to develop.
Instead of using No. 1 goalie Robin Lehner against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dan Bylsma tabbed Nilsson, his backup, to play against the defending Stanley Cup champions on Saturday inside KeyBank Center, a tilt the Sabres won 2-1 in a shootout.
The Swede has impressed this season, ... Read the full article
Anders Nilsson has looked impressive this season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Toward the end of the morning skate, backup goalie Anders Nilsson, not Robin Lehner, started skating to the Sabres bench.
Would Sabres coach Dan Bylsma really start his backup against the Pittsburgh Penguins over Lehner, his starter who has played 13 of the first 17 games?
After fiddling with his sticks at the bench for a few moments – it almost seemed like Nilsson was teasing everyone trying to see if he ... Read the full article
Zemgus Girgensons (28) and Tampa Bay’s Ryan Callahan battle in front of Robin Lehner on Thursday. ©2016, Janet Schultz, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Early in the second period of Thursday’s dreary 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, goalie Ben Bishop gifted the Sabres’ anemic offense a chance it sorely needed to tie the game.
Stationed behind his net, Bishop blindly threw the puck up the middle of the ice to a waiting Kyle Okposo. The Sabres’ leading scorer then quickly let a low wrist shot loose toward the open net.
“That one was on the ... Read the full article
Casey Nelson struggled in limited action. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Had Taylor Fedun been healthy enough to participate in training camp, then perhaps the Sabres would’ve recalled the defenseman earlier this season.
But Fedun, who will make his Sabres debut tonight, fractured his foot in April. He didn’t skate again until the day before training camp started, coach Dan Bylsma said.
After finally joining Sabres practices Oct. 1, Fedun said he was still behind a week or two following his assignment Rochester Americans ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo is one of the few Sabres producing. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – With a slew of established, high-priced forwards and two talented youngsters poised to break out following terrific rookie seasons, the days of the Sabres owning one of the NHL’s worst offenses appeared to be over.
But 15 games into another tough season, the Sabres have scored only 29 goals, a paltry 1.93 a contest, the league’s worst figure entering tonight’s road tilt against the St. Louis Blues.
The Sabres have scored two or ... Read the full article
Anders Nilsson makes one of his 41 saves Friday. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres have lost a lot of games in the past three-plus seasons – 176, to be exact – so they’ve experienced about every kind of defeat imaginable.
So, yes, an overtime penalty shot has victimized them.
But a high-scoring forward scored that goal on the road. How about a defenseman with 37 goals in 11 seasons doing that on your home ice?
That happened in Friday’s 2-1 loss to the New Jersey ... Read the full article
Robin Lehner has looked like a No. 1 goalie all season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Robin Lehner grabbed the new mask he plans to debut for Military Appreciation Night, showed the soldiers and camouflage painted on the front and then turned it around.
At the bottom of the back plate, the Swede had “Trump” painted on with a small picture of the President-Elect.
“Got a little support for my man Trump here,” Lehner said Thursday after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s tilt against the New Jersey ... Read the full article
Robin Lehner has a new mask. ©2016, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Robin Lehner grabbed the new mask he plans to debut for Military Appreciation Night, showed the soldiers and camouflage painted on the front and then turned it around.
At the bottom of the back plate, the Sabres goalie had “Trump” painted on with a small picture of the President-Elect.
“Got a little support for my man Trump here,” the Swede said this afternoon inside KeyBank Center. “It’s going to be a fun night.”... Read the full article
Tyler Ennis has played 12 games this season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Tyler Ennis underwent groin surgery this morning and will miss several weeks, the team has announced.
The Sabres’ longest-tenured player missed Wednesday’s 2-1 shootout loss to Ottawa with a “mid-body injury,” according to coach Dan Bylsma.
Ennis has battled injuries for the last year. Shortly after recovering from a concussion early last season, he suffered a season-ending concussion Dec. 30.
“It’s disappointing for Tyler, the situation he’s been dealing with ... Read the full article
