Nolan - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Linus Omark to return against Oilers; Drew Stafford healed

BUFFALO – Linus Omark smiled today when a reporter asked him if he was looking forward to facing Edmonton, his old team.

“I would be lying if I said no,” the winger said inside the First Niagara Center after the Sabres prepared for the Oilers, Monday’s opponent. “Of course, it’s going to be a fun game. I know a lot of guys on the team.”

Omark, a healthy scratch the last three games, will return ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Matt Moulson likely out until after Olympic break

An upper-body injury will likely sideline Buffalo Sabres winger Matt Moulson until after the Olympic break, Ted Nolan told reporters this afternoon in Denver.

“He took a pretty good bang last night,” the interim coach said.

Shane Doan’s hit injured Moulson late in the Thursday’s 3-2 win in Phoenix.

The Sabres have four games left before the break, starting with Saturday afternoon’s tilt in Colorado. Nolan said there’s a small chance the 30-year-old could return ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ted Nolan on Matt Moulson’s injury: ‘Cross your fingers, hope that it’s good’

Interim Buffalo Sabres coach Ted Nolan doesn’t know if winger Matt Moulson will miss time after the Coyotes’ Shane Doan hit him late in Thursday’s 3-2 win.

“Doctors are looking at him,” Nolan told reporters in Phoenix. “Cross your fingers, hope that it’s good.”

Moulson left the game with 6:05 left and crumbled to the ground in pain after reaching the tunnel behind Buffalo’s bench.

“He took a pretty good, I don’t know if it ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Christian Ehrhoff piling up points again

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff never expected he would experience so much losing after signing his massive 10-year, $40 million contract almost three years ago.

Back then, Ehrhoff thought he was joining a team built to contend for the Stanley Cup. These days, he’s playing for the NHL’s worst outfit.

To some observers, the German has looked uninterested at times this season. To interim coach Ted Nolan, Ehrhoff, one of the Sabres’ few remaining ... Read the full article

Sabres can’t stop Alex Ovechkin, fall to Capitals in OT

BUFFALO – Sooner or later, Alex Ovechkin had to break loose, right? Over two recent games, the Washington Capitals superstar pumped a whopping 18 shots on goal against the Sabres.

Thanks to Ryan Miller’s elite goaltending, the Sabres held the NHL’s most-lethal threat scoreless while winning two 2-1 shootouts.

Facing backup goalie Jhonas Enroth, Ovechkin caught fire early Tuesday, scoring at 3:39 and 4:42 inside the First Niagara Center.

The Sabres still hadn’t ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Chad Ruhwedel quickly learning pro game, impressing in NHL

BUFFALO – While a seven-game, late-season introduction to the NHL was nice, Sabres defenseman Chad Ruhwedel knew he still had plenty to learn about professional hockey.

So a preseason assignment to Rochester hardly surprised the 23-year-old.

“I came in not expecting it, but ready for it,” Ruhwedel, who joined the Sabres straight from the NCAA in April, said Monday in Pittsburgh. “It was my first year pro. I’m not the guy who thinks he’s ready ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jamie McBain to sit against Capitals, Alexander Sulzer back in

BUFFALO – As expected, Sabres defenseman Jamie McBain will be a healthy scratch tonight against the Washington Capitals.

Alexander Sulzer, a scratch five of the last six games, will replace him.

The 25-year-old McBain endured a rough night in Monday’s 3-0 loss in Pittsburgh, losing the puck on the Penguins’ first goal.

“I just want to see better,” Nolan, whose team has lost six of the last seven, said this morning inside the First ... Read the full article

Goalie Ryan Miller plays well against Penguins, Sabres still lose

PITTSBURGH – Despite one win in 15 starts this trying season, it appeared Buffalo Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth would get Monday’s nod inside the Consol Energy Center.

The backup possesses strong career numbers against the mighty Penguins, who give franchise netminder Ryan Miller fits like no other team.

Besides, the Washington Capitals, a team Miller has dominated lately, are visiting the First Niagara Center tonight.

But Ted Nolan doesn’t care about Miller’s awful numbers against ... Read the full article

Penguins’ Brooks Orpik says Olympians more concerned with family safety

PITTSBURGH – Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik, a member of Team USA’s Olympic squad, said athletes aren’t that concerned about their own safety for the upcoming Sochi Games.

“It’s more they’re concerned over their family members going because they’re not in the village,” Orpik said Monday prior to the Penguins’ 3-0 win against the Buffalo Sabres inside the Consol Energy Center. “We’ve been pretty assured they’re going to be safe where they are. It’s one of ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ted Nolan fondly recalls days with Penguins

PITTSBURGH – Having spent more than five years out of the NHL, Ted Nolan walked into the Consol Energy Center, the league’s newest arena, for the first time today.

“It’s beautiful,” the interim Buffalo Sabres coach said this afternoon.

Of course, as a Penguins winger for 18 games in 1985-86, Nolan was familiar with Pittsburgh’s old Civic Arena. “The Igloo,” which closed in 2010, is now a parking lot across the street.

Nolan loves ... Read the full article