Moulson - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres rookie Jack Eichel ready for ‘Prospects Challenge’

BUFFALO – A week and a half ago, Jack Eichel moved into Matt Moulson’s home with the veteran’s wife and two children. The family gave the rookie his own room, a bathroom and a set of “rules of the house and rules of living with them.”

“But,” Eichel said slyly, “it’s confidential.”

Eichel, the second overall pick in June, has a sweet setup with Moulson, who offered to take the 18-year-old in to help him ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Matt Moulson happy to open home to rookie Jack Eichel

BUFFALO – Sabres veteran Matt Moulson joked he has already picked out rookie Jack Eichel’s bedroom at his home for the upcoming season.

“He’ll be sharing a room with my son,” Moulson cracked Wednesday following a late-summer skate.

Eichel, of course, won’t be splitting a room with George, who will turn 2 years old in October. Moulson plans to give Eichel, 18, his own space so his son and daughter, Mila, who just turned 3, ... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Jack Eichel’s wild summer almost over

TORONTO – The Summer of Jack is almost over. Believe it or not, in 10 days, Jack Eichel will be in a Buffalo Sabres uniform for a rookie camp prospects game against the New Jersey Devils, officially ending what the phenom called a “whirlwind” offseason.

“I think it’s starting to get real,” Eichel, the second overall pick, said Tuesday at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase inside Mattamy Athletic Centre, site of the old Maple Leaf Gardens.... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Jack Eichel plans to live with veteran Matt Moulson

TORONTO – Shortly after the Buffalo Sabres drafted Jack Eichel second overall June 26, veteran winger Matt Moulson, his future teammate, congratulated the 18-year-old and then asked the center a surprising question.

The 31-year-old Moulson, one of the most experienced and accomplished Sabres, asked Eichel if he wanted to live with his family during his rookie season.

Eichel hadn’t made any living arrangements yet, so he decided moving in with the Moulson clan – his ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Johan Larsson transformed game late in season

BUFFALO – Three months ago, when the Sabres seemingly banished Johan Larsson to the minors, the 22-year-old’s future here seemed iffy.

Upon arriving in Rochester, Larsson complained about playing on the fourth line with the Sabres, something that angered coach Ted Nolan, who basically told Larsson to shut his mouth.

At that point, Larsson had one goal and six points in 41 NHL games.

Larsson entered Saturday’s season finale against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a 2-0 ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Marcus Foligno looks to brother’s star play for inspiration

BUFFALO – For about 24 hours, Marcus Foligno enjoyed the family’s bragging rights. The Sabres winger felt good after scoring twice Friday, his first goals in 24 games.

Then Foligno’s older brother, Nick, a breakout star with the Columbus Blue Jackets, outdid him Saturday, scoring his first NHL hat trick and hitting the prestigious 30-goal, 70-point marks.

“He had to go out and one-up me,” Marcus Foligno joked Monday prior to the Sabres’ 4-3 win ... Read the full article

Sabres have fought to finish

BUFFALO – For weeks, even months, the Sabres have gone all-out most nights, refusing to check out of their lost season.

They’re 2-3-1 in their last six games. On Saturday, they lost 3-0 to the New York Islanders, a game closer than the score indicated. On Friday, they fell 4-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks after blowing a late lead.

The Sabres, who host the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, just took two strong playoff teams to the ... Read the full article

Sabres assistant coach Bryan Trottier has special memories of Nassau Coliseum

BUFFALO – New York Islanders legend Bryan Trottier remembers the noise. The roar inside Nassau Coliseum would become deafening, funneling down from the stands to the ice.

“To the point where you’re reading lips,” Trottier, a Sabres assistant coach, said Friday. “Until you actually experience it, it’s just fantastic.”

The Isles are moving to bigger and better digs 24 miles away next season, the shiny Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Trottier, a Hall of Famer who ... Read the full article

Matt Moulson sick; Sabres might need to recall player; Update: Tim Schaller recalled

BUFFALO – Winger Matt Moulson woke up this morning feeling ill. Meanwhile, defenseman Mike Weber woke up feeling sore.

The Sabres don’t have an extra forward. Rochester is playing tonight in Iowa, so recalling one for tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks won’t be easy.

What will the Sabres do?

“That’s a big question,” Sabres coach Ted Nolan said this morning inside the First Niagara Center.

The Sabres haven’t ruled Moulson out. Defenseman Tyson Strachan ... Read the full article

Rare Matt Ellis goal caps Sabres’ comeback win against hapless Leafs

BUFFALO – It was a pretty goal, the type that can bring fans out of their seats before the puck is even in the net. Basically, it was the kind of goal Sabres center Matt Ellis never scores.

In 351 NHL games, Ellis has only 21 goals. The likable veteran hadn’t scored in 33 appearances this season prior to his nifty highlight-reel winner Wednesday in the Sabres’ 4-3 come-from-behind victory against the hapless Toronto Maple ... Read the full article