WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Tim Murray smiles this afternoon. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Following a 27-point improvement in 2015-16, a season in which the Sabres morphed from the NHL’s laughingstock into a legitimate team again, the playoffs “may actually be a realistic goal” next year, general manager Tim Murray said.
“So that will be our statement to the players, that yes, the goal is to reach the playoffs, and that we actually do expect that we can do that,” Murray said this afternoon during an end-of-season ... Read the full article
Robin Lehner recently underwent ankle surgery. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Robin Lehner knew his pain threshold would be tested when he returned in mid-January from the high right ankle sprain he suffered opening night.
“Since that day it’s been pain, it’s been swelling after every practice, every game,” Lehner said Sunday as the Sabres held their end-of-season meetings inside the First Niagara Center.
After missing more than three months, Lehner started 20 times, often performing like the No. 1 goalie the ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel wants to rest a bit this offseason. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – When center Ryan O’Reilly joined his new teammates seven months ago, the stench leftover from consecutive 30th-place finishes – the culture of losing, you might call it – still surrounded the Sabres.
“I think you could sense it a bit, for sure,” O’Reilly said this morning as the Sabres held their end-of-season meetings inside the First Niagara Center. “I think there’s a lot of habits, when you look at winning teams, ... Read the full article
Hudson Fasching has been busy doing homework. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – On Wednesday night, hours before Sabres rookie Hudson Fasching had to be at the First Niagara Center to prepare for his fourth NHL game, he was in his hotel room taking a quiz.
Fasching, 20, has kept working toward his entrepreneurial management degree since leaving the University of Minnesota last week following his junior season. He’s taking classes online and is on track to graduate in May.
Three nights earlier, Fasching wrote a ... Read the full article
Robin Lehner’s season is over. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – If the Sabres were still in the hunt for the postseason, then perhaps goalie Robin Lehner would’ve battled through his ankle injury and kept playing, coach Dan Bylsma said.
“I can’t say that for sure,” Bylsma said this morning. “It might’ve been the case if we were in a different spot in the standings right now and fighting for a playoff spot.”
Instead, Lehner underwent season-ending surgery this week. The Swede, 24, suffered ... Read the full article
Robin Lehner played only 21 games this season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Robin Lehner has undergone successful season-ending surgery on his right ankle, the club announced this afternoon.
Lehner, 24, suffered a high ankle sprain opening night and recently jammed the tender ankle into the post twice in a week. The Swede hasn’t played since March 16.
Sabres coach Dan Bylsma recently said Lehner has been resting and rehabbing the ankle. Lehner was supposed to see the team doctors on Saturday, but the ... Read the full article
Ryan O’Reilly (90) will play left wing tonight. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
PITTSBURGH – With Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane sidelined for tonight’s tilt against the Penguins, coach Dan Bylsma will shuffle his lines, moving No. 1 center Ryan O’Reilly to the left wing beside pivot Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart.
The Sabres’ new “super line” has 62 total goals this season. No one else in the lineup has more than 10.
Bylsma said forward Cal O’Reilly, a healthy scratch the last two games, will return. ... Read the full article
Chad Johnson has won seven of his last eight starts. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Having traveled around the NHL in a secondary role for years, Sabres goalie Chad Johnson usually gets pegged as a career backup.
Johnson, after all, is just months away from turning 30 years old. Goalies usually grab the No. 1 job by their mid-20s. The Calgary native has played for five teams, including four in the last three years. He had never played more than 27 games in a season before this year.... Read the full article
Tyler Myers is out for the season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Tyler Myers’ first game back here will have to wait until another season. The Winnipeg Jets defenseman underwent knee surgery Thursday and will miss the rest of the year.
The Jets make their yearly visit to the First Niagara Center on Saturday afternoon.
After Myers’ knee is stabilized and the season ends, he will undergo major hip surgery that requires 16 to 20 weeks of recovery, according to the Winnipeg Free Press.
“He ... Read the full article
Hudson Fasching just ended his college career. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres rookies took different paths from college to the NHL.
Winger Hudson Fasching decided last year he would turn pro following his junior season. Meanwhile, defenseman Casey Nelson wasn’t sure a month ago if he would leave school after three seasons.
Of course, Fasching, 20, was supposed to here. The power forward’s stock steadily rose at the University of Minnesota after Los Angeles drafted him in 2013.
The undrafted Nelson, who called ... Read the full article
