Nolan - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Chris Stewart excited for first game in Toronto

TORONTO – Incredibly, tonight’s tilt against the Maple Leafs, Chris Stewart’s 392^nd NHL game, will be his first appearance in his hometown.

Toronto’s the only city the 26-year-old Buffalo Sabres winger hasn’t played in.

How did that happen?

Stewart played in the Western Conference with Colorado and St. Louis before the Sabres acquired him in March.

“My first year I got healthy scratched here, and then the lockout year we didn’t play the East, ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Josh Gorges knows his heart wasn’t in Toronto

TORONTO – Take away the character, take away the tenacity, and Buffalo Sabres veteran Josh Gorges becomes a run-of-the-mill defenseman.

The undrafted Gorges has built an unlikely 10-year NHL career by showcasing passion – on and off the ice.

“I have to play with my heart,” Gorges, whose Sabres play the Maple Leafs tonight, said Monday. “I have to play everything I got every shift.”

The 30-year-old believes he couldn’t do either of those wearing ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Michal Neuvirth set to start again in net

TORONTO – Goalie Michal Neuvirth, once thought to be the Buffalo Sabres’ backup, will make his second consecutive start tonight in Toronto, coach Ted Nolan said.

What’s going on? Wasn’t Jhonas Enroth supposed to be the No. 1 goalie?

Tonight’s contest will be Neuvirth’s third nod in the last four games.

Nolan said Monday he never anointed Enroth, who’s played six contests, the starting netminder.

“I said he won the right to start the season,” ... Read the full article

Sabres goalies Jhonas Enroth, Michal Neuvirth still battling for playing time

BUFFALO – Goalie Michal Neuvirth, once thought to be the Sabres’ backup, will make his second consecutive start Tuesday in Toronto, coach Ted Nolan said this afternoon.

What’s going on? Wasn’t Jhonas Enroth supposed to be the No. 1 goalie?

Neuvirth will have earned three of four nods after the Sabres play the Maple Leafs.

Nolan said today he never anointed Enroth, who’s played six games, the starting netminder.

“I said he won the right ... Read the full article

Sabres’ offense still struggling to score

BUFFALO – The Sabres, the lowest-scoring team in modern NHL history last season, have picked up where they left off in April.

Yes, it’s still early, but the Sabres have scored just seven goals in six games, a paltry 1.17 average. The only team averaging fewer goals a game, the Florida Panthers, beat the Sabres 1-0 on Friday.

Four Sabres have scored this season. Tyler Ennis, Marcus Foligno and Zemgus Girgensons all have two ... Read the full article

Sabres to retire Dominik Hasek’s No. 39 on Jan. 13 prior to Red Wings game

BUFFALO – The Sabres will retire legend Dominik Hasek’s No. 39 prior to the Jan. 13, 2015 game against the Detroit Red Wings, the team announced Monday.

Hasek, one of the greatest goalies in NHL history, will become the franchise’s seventh retired number.

The opponent holds some significance. Hasek played four seasons in Detroit, winning two Stanley Cups. The Sabres traded Hasek to Detroit in 2001.

The Czech will be inducted into the Hockey Hall ... Read the full article

Top Sabres prospect Sam Reinhart will play again soon

BUFFALO – Top prospect Sam Reinhart, a healthy scratch last game, will play on the Sabres’ upcoming three-game California trip, coach Ted Nolan said this morning.

Nolan wouldn’t say if the center will dress Wednesday in Anaheim.

He believes sitting the 18-year-old for Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Boston helped him.

“Today is another good day,” Nolan said inside the First Niagara Center. “I thought maybe having that day off he had a little bit ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Nikita Zadorov’s future could be decided soon

BUFFALO – The complicated situation involving Sabres defenseman Nikita Zadorov, a healthy scratch all six games this season, could be resolved in the next 48 hours, the Russian’s agent said Sunday night.

The Sabres have essentially been stashing the 19-year-old prospect on their roster.

Here’s the issue: Zadorov, as a European, can’t be sent back to the London Knights, his junior team, because he doesn’t have a release from the Russian club that owns his ... Read the full article

Sabres start fast, still can’t score in loss to Bruins

BUFFALO – Six games looks like a large enough sample size to judge the 2014-15 Sabres. The current edition is terrible, perhaps every bit as bad as last year’s hapless squad that finished dead last in the NHL.

Saturday’s ugly 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins before 18,685 fans inside the First Niagara Center dropped them to 1-5 this season.

The feeble Florida Panthers beat the Sabres 1-0 on Friday, so they finished a ... Read the full article

Top Sabres prospect Sam Reinhart sits against Bruins

BUFFALO – In less than a week, top Sabres prospect Sam Reinhart went from centering some high-scoring wingers to playing fourth-line minutes between grinders.

So it wasn’t shocking the Sabres scratched the struggling 18-year-old for Saturday’s 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins inside the First Niagara Center.

Reinhart has zero goals, two shots and a minus-1 rating in his first five NHL games.

“Why do you sit out anybody?” Sabres coach Ted Nolan said. “It’s ... Read the full article