McCabe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres focused on upping pace this training camp

BUFFALO – A year ago, coach Phil Housley and his staff were so busy installing a new system and teaching during training camp, the Sabres never established much of a pace that could lead to regular-season success.

Not surprisingly, it hurt the Sabres, who plodded through a miserable campaign and wound up finishing dead last in Housley’s first year.

This year, even with a slew of new faces, most of the roster knows Housley’s system, ... Read the full article

Rasmus Dahlin focused on making Sabres

BUFFALO – Rasmus Dahlin secured his roster spot the second the Sabres drafted him first overall almost three months ago. The ultra-talented Swedish defenseman is expected, even as a rookie, to help transform the franchise into a winner.

But Dahlin, 18, isn’t taking anything for granted. He sometimes talks about if he makes the Sabres. He said it again today after his first official NHL practice.... Read the full article

Selection by Sabres emotional for Rasmus Dahlin

DALLAS – For 55 days, since the Buffalo Sabres won the right to draft him first overall, Rasmus Dahlin knew the moment was coming. Still, when perhaps the best defense prospect in a generation finally put on his Blue and Gold jersey for the first time, he seemed overwhelmed by the experience.

“It’s amazing,” a smiling Dahlin, 18, told a hoard of reporters Friday after becoming the third player taken first overall in Sabres history ... Read the full article

Sabres GM Jason Botterill ticked off over poor season

BUFFALO – Sabres general manager Jason Botterill spoke like a man embarrassed by what he had just experienced and hellbent on never letting it happening again.

Botterill is usually measured in his comments, keeping his emotions in check. But discussing the Sabres’ wretched 31st-place finish this season made him seethe.

The Sabres hired Botterill last year from Pittsburgh, where he won three Stanley Cups in 10 seasons with the Penguins and never missed the playoffs.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Casey Nelson earning regular duty on blue line

BUFFALO – Earlier this season, if you had asked Casey Nelson if he could play 20 minutes a night in the NHL, often against the opposition’s top line, the Sabres defenseman would’ve given you a straightforward answer.

“I’d say there’s no chance, there’s no way,” Nelson said Wednesday inside KeyBank Center.

But in tonight’s tilt in Detroit, Nelson, 25, will likely play big minutes on the second defense pair, meaning he’ll face some of the ... Read the full article

Sabres Jake McCabe wanted to address shoulder problem later

BUFFALO – After undergoing thumb surgery earlier this month, Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe planned on returning when he healed.

But with the Sabres far out of the playoff race, general manager Jason Botterill decided McCabe, 24, should undergo surgery to fix a shoulder injury that has been bothering him.

The Sabres announced the decision Tuesday. Four to six months of recovery time accompanies the surgery.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jake McCabe to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe will undergo season-ending surgery to repair his injured shoulder, the team announced this afternoon.

McCabe, 24, hasn’t played since he underwent thumb surgery after blocking a shot Feb. 6.

“Jake has been progressing well in his recovery from his previous injury, but we decided that this was a good opportunity to take care of a problem that he has been dealing with for a while,” Sabres general manager Jason ... Read the full article

Sabres want Rasmus Ristolainen to play fewer minutes

BUFFALO – For years, Sabres coaches have said they want to trim Rasmus Ristolainen’s ice time. For years, the workhorse Finnish defenseman has kept skating big minutes.

Of course, those coaches – first Dan Bylsma and now Phil Housley – haven’t had many options beyond Ristolainen. Bad teams usually don’t possess much defense depth.

An injury or a struggling defenseman means the Sabres must lean on Ristolainen, 23, even more.

Thanks to Jake McCabe’s ... Read the full article

Thumb surgery to sideline Sabres’ Jake McCabe weeks

BUFFALO – With Jake McCabe out three to four weeks after undergoing thumb surgery today and Rasmus Ristolainen struggling, the Sabres’ defense corps will look much different tonight against the New York Islanders.

Casey Nelson, a recent recall quickly earning coach Phil Housley’s trust, will play with Marco Scandella, Ristolainen’s partner much of the season on the No. 1 pair. Ristolainen, meanwhile, will move back and skate with Nathan Beaulieu.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Phil Housley interested in Olympic hockey

BUFFALO – Phil Housley’s ties to USA Hockey run deep.

The Sabres coach, a Hall of Fame defenseman, represented his country at tournaments 11 times during his playing career, including one Olympics, the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Housley has also coached Team USA at six tournaments, winning a gold medal at the 2013 World Junior Championship.... Read the full article