WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Matt Moulson scored a career-low 13 goals last season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – After his family, the most important thing in his life, Sabres winger Matt Moulson has two other loves.
“Scoring is my second love after winning,” Moulson said Sunday inside the First Niagara Center.
Moulson, 31, did little of either throughout a brutal 2014-15 season in which the Sabres won only 23 times and he scored a career-low 13 goals.
He struggled from the get-go beside some pedestrian centers, only occasionally showcasing the talents ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel zooms by Toronto’s Connor Brown on Tuesday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In three NHL exhibition appearances, Sabres center Jack Eichel has generated two goals, five points and more excitement than any NHL rookie, even Connor McDavid, his counterpart in Edmonton.
To wit: Eichel, in his home preseason debut Tuesday, scored again in Sabres’ 4-0 shellacking of the Toronto Maple Leafs, his second short-handed breakaway goal.
The 18-year-old Eichel hit full speed in two strides leaving the Buffalo zone and quickly roared by Connor Brown ... Read the full article
Brendan Guhle will play his fourth preseason game tonight. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Brendan Guhle is no longer the impressive rookie getting a long look before going back to junior. Suddenly, the Sabres defense prospect, the 51st overall pick in June, has a real chance to be on the opening-night roster in nine days.
“Definitely there’s an opportunity,” said Guhle, who will play his fourth preseason game tonight. “There’s some injuries now, whatnot. I’m not looking too far ahead of myself.”
Four notable defensemen – ... Read the full article
Johan Larsson finished last season as the Sabres’ top center. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Dan Bylsma wanted to count them all first. So before the coach talked about the impressive center depth the Sabres have quickly assembled, he rattled off each one on the roster.
When Bylsma stopped, he had named eight: Ryan O’Reilly, No. 2 overall pick Jack Eichel, Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson, David Legwand, Sam Reinhart and Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno, two wingers with experience down the middle.... Read the full article
Dan Catenacci grew up outside Toronto. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
TORONTO – Instead of being in Canada’s largest city for an NHL exhibition game tonight, Buffalo Sabres prospect Brendan Guhle figured he’d likely be playing his first junior game this season about 3,000 kilometers away – hey, check the dateline – in Saskatchewan for the Prince Albert Raiders.
But the defenseman, the 51st pick in June, will play his third straight preseason game tonight against the Maple Leafs inside the Air Canada Centre.
“Good ... Read the full article
Dan Bylsma keeps wondering whose loud voice he’s hearing. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The voice is so loud, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma keeps looking back on the ice and wondering who the heck is yelling.
“His voice is like his size, it’s big,” Bylsma said about 6-foot-5 goalie Robin Lehner, who will start Wednesday’s preseason home opener inside the First Niagara Center against his old team, the Ottawa Senators.
Lehner, as anyone who has watched a training camp practice quickly learned, loves to communicate on the ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel counts as a veteran for preseason games since he was a first-round pick. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The expectations for rookie Jack Eichel’s preseason debut Monday are, well, pretty low.
“He’s going to get a chance with the scoreboard running and different colored jerseys in the National Hockey League to play a game,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center.
Still, Eichel’s presence is notable. Bylsma said the center will play at least some of the road tilt against the Minnesota Wild between Matt Moulson ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel will almost certainly stop wearing No. 41 early next month. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – To rookie Jack Eichel, he hasn’t secured a spot on the Sabres yet.
That’s why the slick center, one of the biggest prospects in recent memory, initially hesitated to accept teammate Matt Moulson’s invitation to live with his family. That’s why Eichel, 18, hasn’t switched from No. 41, a development camp number he was given by the equipment staff, to No. 15, a number he picked.
Everyone in Buffalo seems to be ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel wore No. 41 again today. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – To rookie Jack Eichel, he hasn’t secured a spot on the Sabres yet.
That’s why the slick center, one of the biggest prospects in recent memory, initially hesitated to accept teammate Matt Moulson’s invitation to live with his family. That’s why Eichel, 18, hasn’t switched from No. 41, a development camp number he was given by the equipment staff, to No. 15, a number he picked.
Everyone in Buffalo seems to be wearing ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel will play his first game in a Sabres uniform tonight. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sometimes, Josh Chapman said, he can’t help himself. When one of the Sabres’ talented youngsters like Jack Eichel or Sam Reinhart is on the ice, it’s only natural to watch them for a moment.
“You get caught staring sometimes, for sure,” Chapman said Friday after rookie camp opened. “(Eichel’s) a really flashy, skilled player. Same with Reinhart and a bunch of other guys. They’re fun to watch. But you don’t want to watch ... Read the full article