Nilsson - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Sam Reinhart finally scores first goal

BUFFALO – As the seven-game mark approached, Sabres forward Sam Reinhart figured after all his missed opportunities, his first goal would be fluky.

“The way the year has been going, that’s the way the first one had to go in, because the chances have been there,” Reinhart said after scoring a power-play goal late in Saturday afternoon’s 3-0 win against the Florida Panthers inside KeyBank Center.

Sure enough, 8:48 into the third period, Reinhart tried ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Robin Lehner set to start Sunday; Jack Eichel out of boot

BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Robin Lehner, sidelined two games by a “stomach bug,” said he will likely start Sunday afternoon’s road contest against the Winnipeg Jets.

“I’m ready,” Lehner said today after practicing inside KeyBank Center.

Lehner said he won’t play Saturday afternoon. Sabres coach Dan Bylsma, meanwhile, wouldn’t divulge his starter for the Florida Panthers.

“We’ll see on our goaltender,” Bylsma said.

Goalies Anders Nilsson, Lehner’s sub, and Linus Ullmark also practiced ... Read the full article

Sabres start slowly, get blanked by Wild

BUFFALO – Just six games in, it already feels like past seasons. The Sabres are going nowhere fast again. Thursday’s embarrassing 4-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild, their fourth straight defeat and fifth overall, proved that.

Few expected the Sabres would be this bad again, but two weeks into another trying year, they still rank among the NHL’s bottom-feeders.

Clearly, the Sabres carried Tuesday’s brutal 4-3 shootout loss in Philadelphia, a game in which ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Wild’s Jason Pominville still versatile presence

BUFFALO – Minnesota Wild winger Jason Pominville thought for a moment, scanned his mind for some names. The former Sabres captain came up with two.

“Uh, like, Foligno, Ennis,” Pominville said Thursday prior to the Wild’s 4-0 win inside KeyBank Center. “Umm, that might be it.”

That’s it. Only two players from Pominville’s long tenure here, which ended April 3, 2013, are still with the Sabres: wingers Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno.

“There’s not ... Read the full article

Sabres know they must improve at home

BUFFALO – It’s simple, really. If the Sabres have any hope of making the playoffs, they must become a strong home team, something they haven’t been in years.

The Sabres, who host the Minnesota Wild tonight at KeyBank Center, are 0-1 at home this season. They went 16-19-6 last season, when only two teams earned fewer home wins.

“It’s something we didn’t do last year and something we talked about doing this year, making this ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Robin Lehner still out with flu

BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Robin Lehner, who missed Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss in Philadelphia, is still sidelined by the flu.

Lehner, the fourth player to become ill recently, stayed home today, his third straight day off the ice. The other Sabres have recovered in about two days, coach Dan Bylsma said.

While Bylsma didn’t rule Lehner out of Thursday’s home tilt against the Minnesota Wild, it appears unlikely he will play.

Backup Anders Nilsson... Read the full article

Sabres’ Sam Reinhart happy with move to center

BUFFALO – It was only a matter of time before Sam Reinhart switched positions.

With center Jack Eichel injured, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma loaded up his top line early, keeping Reinhart at right wing, this time beside Ryan O’Reilly and Kyle Okposo.

Reinhart, however, produced only two assists in four games. The 1-2-1 Sabres, meanwhile, have just 11 goals as a team, six of them in one outing.

They clearly miss the talented ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Robin Lehner sick; Anders Nilsson to get first start

BUFFALO – Before practice started this morning, goalie coach Andrew Allen, 40, was on the ice in full gear putting a few players through some paces, a sign one of the Sabres’ regulars was unavailable.

It turns out No. 1 goalie Robin Lehner is sick and unavailable for Tuesday’s tilt in Philadelphia, coach Dan Bylsma said.

“Hoping he would pull through this morning,” Bylsma said inside KeyBank Center.

Bylsma said backup Anders Nilsson will make ... Read the full article

Former Sabres goalie Chad Johnson happy with Flames

All along, Chad Johnson said, returning to Buffalo was his first choice. The goalie thrived in his only season with the Sabres, becoming the team’s backbone while playing a career-high 45 games.

But when free agency opened in June, Johnson quickly learned how much his career year had impressed other NHL teams.

Johnson, 30, said he talked to six or seven suitors, including his hometown Calgary Flames.

“You talk to other teams and (learn how) ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander enjoys special night against brother

ST. CATHARINES, Ontario – Growing up, Buffalo Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander and his brother, William, a Toronto Maple Leafs youngster, were ultra-competitive in whatever game or sport they played.

So, despite being very close, the Nylanders would occasionally get a little emotional.

“We fought a lot, there was a lot when we were playing knee hockey, shinny,” an excited Alexander Nylander said Thursday morning prior to the Sabres’ 1-0 preseason shootout win, their first-ever meeting ... Read the full article