Moulson - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres goalie Robin Lehner progressing, could practice soon

BUFFALO – Almost three months after Robin Lehner suffered a high ankle sprain, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel for the injured Sabres goalie.

Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said this afternoon Lehner, sidelined since Oct. 8, opening night, could return to practice soon.

“We’re looking at him starting a schedule for him to return to practice and possibly down the road return to play,” Bylsma said following practice inside the First ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Sam Reinhart improved game quickly

BUFFALO – The improvements, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said, have been “drastic.” In a matter of months, winger Sam Reinhart has transformed himself from a raw prospect into a first-line NHL talent.

Reinhart, of course, possessed supreme hockey intelligence when the Sabres drafted him second overall in 2014. Now, the rookie, 20, has developed the physical tools to compliment his strong mind.

“You have to give him a lot of credit for his diligent work,” ... Read the full article

Patrick Kane stars in Blackhawks’ win over Sabres

BUFFALO – The only cheers for Patrick Kane came before his starring role in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 3-2 win against the Sabres on Saturday, when the South Buffalo native was announced in the starting lineup.

Then a large portion of the 18,870 fans inside the First Niagara Center booed their hometown superstar all afternoon – from the first period until he scored the dramatic tying goal late in regulation and the slick shootout winner.

Kane, ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Matt Moulson to skate on fourth line

BUFFALO – Struggling Sabres winger Matt Moulson, who hasn’t scored a goal in 21 straight games, will skate on the fourth line this afternoon against the Chicago Blackhawks, coach Dan Bylsma said.

“He’s down on the fourth line,” Bylsma said inside the First Niagara Center. “That doesn’t really change what we need to see from him, what he needs to bring.”

Moulson, 32, needs to score goals. He has only four in 32 games. ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Matt Moulson mired in long scoring slump

BUFFALO – Given the Sabres dramatically improved their roster this season, 20 or 25 goals seemed reasonable for winger Matt Moulson following two down years.

Heck, with two creative centers like rookie Jack Eichel and Ryan O’Reilly available to feed him the puck, even 30 scores, a big number Moulson hit three straight seasons in Long Island skating beside superstar John Tavares, looked attainable.

So much for those thoughts. Moulson, 32, is battling a career-long ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tyler Ennis nearing return

BUFFALO – Slowly, Tyler Ennis, out the last 11 games with an upper-body injury, is improving. The Sabres winger skated in an optional practice with five teammates today and will likely join the morning skate Thursday.

Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said Ennis could be moved from the week-to-week category to day-to-day.

If that happens, perhaps Ennis could play Saturday afternoon against Chicago, the last game before the Christmas break.

“We’ll see, see how I ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark believes struggles are mental

BUFFALO – Right now, Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark’s struggles are “mostly mental things,” the Swede said this morning. In his last six starts, the rookie is 0-4-2 and has allowed 18 goals. In his last three starts, his save percentage is .859.

Remember, Ullmark, who will start tonight against the Los Angeles Kings, dazzled early on, winning four of his first six starts.

“We know that my game works,” Ullmark said inside the First ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Evander Kane finally scoring

BUFFALO – Realistically, having scored six times in 16 games this season, Sabres winger Evander Kane likely won’t hit his lofty preseason target of 40 or 50 goals.

Scoring once in his first 11 appearances and missing 10 contests with an MCL injury certainly didn’t help.

But that disappointing start has recently become an afterthought, as Kane’s one of the NHL’s hottest scorers as the Sabres start a three-game Canadian road trip tonight against the ... Read the full article

Ex-Sabres tough guy John Scott wants NHL All-Star spot

BUFFALO – The sight, of course, would be odd. Just imagine 6-foot-8 former Sabres tough guy John Scott, who has five goals in his eight-year career, competing against superstars like Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos in the new three-on-three NHL All-Star Game format.

If fans keep casting online ballots for Scott, that could happen Jan. 31 in Nashville.

Right now, Scott, a healthy scratch 19 times with the Arizona Coyotes this season, is the ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel and Brian Gionta help Sabres down Hurricanes

BUFFALO – Shortly before Jack Eichel’s nifty winning goal in the Sabres’ 4-1 win Friday, the rookie took an ill-advised skate from his own blue line back toward the net and into danger.

Eichel, 19, coughed up the puck to the Carolina Hurricanes, leading to Zach Bogosian’s interference penalty.

But the Sabres, who ended their six-game losing streak, can live with the occasional mistake from Eichel because, just 23 games into his career, the center ... Read the full article