O'Reilly - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Jason Pominville moving around lineup

BUFFALO – Moving Jason Pominville off the Sabres’ top line wasn’t related to the veteran winger’s performance, coach Phil Housley said.

“He was playing terrific,” Housley said prior to Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes inside KeyBank Center. “We’re trying to spark some other lines and find some balance.”

Housley shifted Pominville to right wing beside center Johan Larsson and Seth Griffith or Matt Moulson last Saturday. Sam Reinhart, meanwhile, moved from his ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel struggling to meet high expectations

PITTSBURGH – As the one-quarter mark of Jack Eichel’s third NHL season approaches, the Buffalo Sabres center possesses some pretty underwhelming statistics.

Seventeen games into another trying campaign, the slumping Eichel has four goals and 14 points. Over an 82-game season, that equals 19 goals and 68 points.

Those numbers would be fabulous for most NHL players. A Sabre hasn’t compiled 70 points since winger Jason Pominville in 2011-12.... Read the full article

Sabres trying to ignite struggling power play

BUFFALO – In an otherwise glum season, the Sabres’ power play emerged as the NHL’s best a year ago, converting 24.5 percent of its opportunities.

Considering the Sabres kept their key personnel and hired coach Phil Housley, it wasn’t crazy to think they could become even more potent this year.

After all, few players in NHL history have performed better. Housley amassed 609 of his 1,232 points on the power play during his 21-year career ... Read the full article

Benoit Pouliot shines in Sabres’ win over Capitals

BUFFALO – Barely three minutes into the third period Tuesday, Sabres winger Benoit Pouliot grabbed the puck deep in his own zone and started creating a nifty-game winning goal.

In his 10-year career, Pouliot, 31, has scored 122 times. His latest, which sealed the Sabres’ 3-1 victory against the Washington Capitals, might be the prettiest.

“It isn’t the type of goal I usually get a chance to do, but it ended up good,” Pouliot said ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel line producing most of Sabres’ offense

BUFFALO – In their first weeks as Sabres linemates, Jack Eichel, Evander Kane and Jason Pominville have quickly morphed into one of the NHL’s most lethal trios.

Each player has a team-leading 12 points. Kane and Pominville both have a team-high six goals, while Eichel, whose eight assists tops the Sabres, has four goals.

“They have a big impact on our team,” Sabres coach Phil Housley said Wednesday.... Read the full article

Short break gives Sabres chance to rest

BUFFALO – Thanks to a load of games – the Sabres and six other teams have played an NHL-high 12 contests – a rare four-day break materialized early in the schedule.

The 3-7-2 Sabres don’t play again until Thursday in Arizona. So this morning, fresh off Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 home loss to San Jose, the Sabres enjoyed a lighter practice, focusing on skill.

“Today was kind of meant to be more a little bit ... Read the full article

Tight loss to Sharks frustrates Sabres, Jack Eichel

BUFFALO – The frustration of another tight loss and his missed opportunities overwhelmed Jack Eichel on Saturday afternoon, and as the Sabres center walked to the dressing room on his 21st birthday, he snapped his stick over his leg.

Early in the 3-2 loss, Eichel celebrated emphatically after his power-play goal appeared to tie the game. But the San Jose Sharks challenged, and after a long delay, officials ruled center Sam Reinhart interfered with goalie ... Read the full article

Goalie interference call on Sabres’ Sam Reinhart negates power-play goal

BUFFALO – When Jack Eichel’s blistering wrist shot whistled past San Jose Sharks goalie Aaron Dell early Saturday afternoon, the goal horn blared, the crowd roared and the Sabres center celebrated wildly with his teammates.

No one, except for perhaps a couple eagle-eyed San Jose coaches, realized a problem with the power-play goal, which seemingly tied the game at 1 just over 17 minutes into the game.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Benoit Pouliot moving around

BUFFALO – When the Sabres signed Benoit Pouliot to a one-year contract July 1, it was expected they would utilize the veteran as a utility winger all over the lineup.

Sure enough, nine games into the season, Pouliot has already skated on a slew of lines.

In Saturday’s 5-4 come-from-behind overtime win in Boston, Pouliot mostly played at left wing with center Ryan O’Reilly and Jason Pominville, a top scoring trio. Pouliot scored his ... Read the full article

Short-handed goal dooms Sabres again in loss to Canucks

BUFFALO – By now, you figured the Sabres’ disturbing early-season penchant for allowing short-handed goals would’ve been corrected.

Four in the first three games? Yikes! That can’t continue, right?

Well, eight contests into what looks like another lost season, the reeling Sabres haven’t bucked the trend. A short-handed goal – incredibly, the Sabres have already allowed a whopping six – swung the momentum again in Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks before 18,050 fans ... Read the full article