WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
January Edition
Robin Lehner makes a save amid a flurry Saturday. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – To Sabres goalie Robin Lehner, shootouts are “different.” Players have all the time they need, allowing them to speed up, slow down and try things that wouldn’t be allowed in regular play.
“It’s not hockey,” Lehner said following Saturday’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning before 18,935 fans inside KeyBank Center.
It might not be regular hockey, but it still counts, and Lehner has been brutal in shootouts all season, ... Read the full article
Evan Rodrigues has played 15 NHL games. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – On a team featuring 11 veterans earning more than $3 million, Evan Rodrigues, a rookie 15 games into his NHL career, was arguably the Sabres’ best player during two wretched road losses last weekend.
Let that sink in.
“It’s a little disappointing Rodrigues is one of our best players,” Sabres general manager Tim Murray said Wednesday. “It’s great for him. But I’m not sure that’s what should’ve happened in those two games.”... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo (21) hurt his ribs Thursday. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – With leading scorer Kyle Okposo week-to-week after hurting his ribs, instead of recalling a forward, the Sabres will dress Nick Deslauriers for tonight’s tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Deslauriers, a healthy scratch the last four games, has zero points this season. Okposo has 19 goals and 43 points.
The Sabres can’t exactly fill Okposo’s void.
Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said Okposo has the same injury winger Evander Kane suffered opening night, meaning ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo has a team-high 43 points. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Leading Sabres scorer Kyle Okposo will miss Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a rib injury, coach Dan Bylsma said this afternoon.
Bylsma didn’t have a full update on Okposo, who left Thursday’s 6-3 win against the Arizona Coyotes after Kevin Connauton hit him into the boards.
“He’s our leading scorer and absolutely a big part of our team and how we play, how we want to play,” Bylsma said following ... Read the full article
Marcus Foligno (left) and Josh Gorges celebrate Foligno’s empty-net goal Thursday. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Following Thursday’s 6-3 win, a contest tighter than the score might indicate, winger Evander Kane bluntly assessed the current edition of the Arizona Coyotes, a hapless outfit the Sabres lost to earlier this week.
“They’re not a very good hockey team,” said Kane, who scored the winning goal 14:24 into the third period. “Let’s be real here.”
Well, they were good enough to beat the Sabres five days ago.
Despite ranking 29th overall, ... Read the full article
Jamie McGinn spent less than a season with the Sabres. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – For 63 games over five months last season, Jamie McGinn had a blast here. The winger showcased his versatility, scoring 14 goals all over the Sabres lineup. He played with Ryan O’Reilly, his buddy from Colorado, and made another friend for life, Jack Eichel.
“I was having fun,” McGinn said this morning after the Arizona Coyotes prepared for tonight’s tilt inside KeyBank Center. “You’re … enjoying being out there. You’re with ... Read the full article
Dmity Kulikov has struggled all season. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In his first and probably only season here, defenseman Dmitry Kulikov has performed so poorly – the Russian has one goal, two points and a wretched minus-15 rating – the Sabres couldn’t even get a late-round pick for him before Wednesday’s trade deadline.
So for 19 more games, starting with tonight’s tilt against the Arizona Coyotes, the Sabres have Kulikov. Of course, that doesn’t mean coach Dan Bylsma will play him.
Kulikov, 26, ... Read the full article
Evander Kane skates today. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Some trade deadline practice notes from KeyBank Center, where the media is gathered in the press room with a television tuned, of course, to TSN:
– Sporting some new lines, the Sabres practiced around 45 minutes today. Naturally, the looming deadline was felt a bit.
“A little of that lingers with an impending 3 o’clock deadline,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said. “But treat the situations and the players like they’re going to be ... Read the full article
Vaclav Karabacek scored his third AHL goal Wednesday. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – For an AHL team mired in 13th place in a 14-team conference, the Rochester Americans possess some impressive young forward talent.
Justin Bailey, Nick Baptiste and Evan Rodrigues just returned from successful NHL stints. Hudson Fasching made the Sabres out of camp. If he hadn’t suffered a groin injury early on, he likely would’ve earned more NHL action. And while Alexander Nylander, 18, has struggled recently, the eighth overall pick is ... Read the full article
Taylor Fedun played 25 games with the Sabres. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Would you look at that. Thanks to a three-game winning streak, the Sabres have jumped up the standings to within two points of the Atlantic Division’s final playoff spot and the last wild card spot entering tonight’s tilt with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Of course, teams with games in hand stand between them and those coveted spots. Still, the Sabres are finally starting to make a surge.
The Sabres have won three games in ... Read the full article