McNabb - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Ville Leino to sit tonight, not sure what Ted Nolan wants from him

BUFFALO – Ted Nolan said he isn’t down on or losing patience with Sabres center Ville Leino.

So why is the interim coach scratching the Finn, who has zero goals this season, tonight against the Ottawa Senators?

“Certain players with a certain skill set, they have to bring it,” Nolan said this morning inside the First Niagara Center. “And if you’re not going to play as well as you can, sometimes it’s better to ... Read the full article

Sabres to use new lines against Senators; Brayden McNabb back in lineup

BUFFALO – Ted Nolan wanted to give his lines a long look. The interim Sabres coach figured he couldn’t ask his players for consistency if he kept shuffling the trios.

But after a string of losses and more meager offensive production, Nolan switched up his combinations Monday.

“Our top line is having a little bit of trouble, maybe the chemistry wasn’t quite right,” Nolan said following practice inside the First Niagara Center. “We talked to ... Read the full article

Ted Nolan changes Sabres’ lines; Brayden McNabb to return Tuesday

BUFFALO – Ted Nolan wanted to give his lines a long look. The interim Sabres coach figured he couldn’t ask his players for consistency if he kept shuffling the trios.

But after a string of losses and more meager offensive production, Nolan switched the lines up today.

“Our top line is having a little bit of trouble, maybe the chemistry wasn’t quite right,” Nolan said this afternoon following practice inside the First Niagara Center. ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko excited for world junior championship

BUFFALO – Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko knows watching NHL games as a spare forward is hurting his development.

“I can’t be sitting in the press box. I need to play,” Grigorenko said Thursday morning inside the First Niagara Center. “Everybody understands this.”

Luckily, the Sabres’ new regime understands how vital ice time is to Grigorenko’s maturation, so the team’s letting the 19-year-old center play for Russian at the upcoming world junior championship in Sweden.

“I ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Brayden McNabb to sit again, showcasing right attitude

BUFFALO – Attitude, Ted Nolan said, “is everything.”

“It’s like a flat tire,” the interim Sabres coach said this morning, “if you don’t change it, you ain’t going nowhere.”

Sabres defenseman Brayden McNabb’s great attitude about his one-day assignment to Rochester helped the 22-year-old compile one goal and three points in the Americans’ 6-1 win against the Utica Comets, Nolan said.

“He’s knows that he’s got a little ways to go before becoming a full-time ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko excited to represent Russia at world junior championship

BUFFALO – Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko knows he can’t develop properly sitting in the press box regularly.

“I need to play,” Grigorenko said this morning inside the First Niagara Center. “Everybody understands this.”

Luckily, the Sabres’ new regime understands that, so the team’s letting the 19-year-old center play for Russian at the upcoming world junior championship in Sweden.

“I think it’s going to be great for me because I’m not getting enough ice time,” said ... Read the full article

Ted Nolan wants Sabres goalie Ryan Miller to stay in Buffalo

BUFFALO – In Ted Nolan’s mind, franchise goalie Ryan Miller, an unrestricted free agent following the season, is more of a building block for the struggling Sabres than an asset.

“You build around him versus as a pawn to try to get something to make you better,” the interim coach said Wednesday. “You learn to deal with the now as a coach, and we got one of the better goaltenders in the world here. I’d ... Read the full article

Sabres send Brayden McNabb to Amerks for one game

BUFFALO – Defenseman Brayden McNabb, a healthy scratch the last two games, will play tonight for the Rochester Americans before returning to the Sabres.

Sitting long isn’t good for the 22-year-old, interim Sabres coach Ted Nolan said. The Amerks host the Utica Comets tonight.

“The greatest thing about having the Rochester Americans so close he can go down and play,” Nolan said this afternoon following practice inside the First Niagara Center. “He sat out ... Read the full article

Report: Patrick Kaleta has torn ACL, done for season; Sabres planned recall

BUFFALO – Agitating winger Patrick Kaleta, who was trying to develop a calmer style in the minors following a series of NHL suspensions, tore his right ACL Friday and is done for the season, according to the Buffalo News.

Here’s the kicker, though: Kaleta was going to be recalled from Rochester on Monday, interim Sabres coach Ted Nolan told reporters today in New Jersey.

“We were going to bring him up after the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Mikhail Grigorenko and Brayden McNabb should return tonight after healthy scratches

BUFFALO – These aren’t regular healthy scratches. Interim coach Ted Nolan, who’s been charged with evaluating and developing the Sabres’ young lineup, wants some of his prospects to sit occasionally.

So he scratched center Mikhail Grigorenko and defenseman Brayden McNabb for Friday’s 3-2 overtime win against Toronto Maple Leafs inside the First Niagara Center.

Both should return tonight in New Jersey against the Devils, however.

“I’m not unhappy,” Nolan said Friday morning about Grigorenko’s play. ... Read the full article