WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Dan Bylsma (right) took over the Sabres’ coaching job this season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres coach Dan Bylsma noticed almost immediately, way back in September, and it surprised him. Training camp had just started with an overhauled roster – about 10 new faces, in fact – yet his players were already forming close bonds.
“They enjoy being a part of this team and part of this group,” Bylsma said Thursday inside the First Niagara Center. “It has developed. It is a part of what we are. … ... Read the full article
Ryan O’Reilly leads the Sabres in goals and points. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Right away, everything has clicked for center Ryan O’Reilly. In just half a season here, the 24-year-old has quickly become the Sabres’ MVP and perhaps their most popular player.
O’Reilly plays more minutes than any other NHL forward. He leads the Sabres in scoring and has 17 points in the last 17 games. No one in the league has taken more faceoffs. Following losses, he regularly takes responsibility for his performance and ... Read the full article
Ryan O’Reilly has been the Sabres’ best forward all season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In just half a season here, center Ryan O’Reilly has already become perhaps the Sabres’ most popular player.
In a blue-collar city, O’Reilly’s versatile style and accountable personality have resonated with the Sabres’ rabid fan base. The 24-year-old plays more than any other NHL forward. He leads the team in scoring and has 17 points in the last 17 games. Following games, O’Reilly often passionately laments what he and his teammates couldn’t accomplish.... Read the full article
Jamie McGinn angles for a shot in front of Florida goalie Roberto Luongo on Tuesday. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In one dressing room, the smiles told the story. After shellacking the reeling Sabres 5-1 on Tuesday, the upstart Florida Panthers confidently celebrated their franchise-record 10th consecutive victory.
“Ten, might as well just keep going and win every game,” said winger Jonathan Huberdeau, one of the Panthers’ young stars.
Yes, the Panthers, the NHL’s perennial laughingstock, have quickly morphed into the league’s hottest team.
Down the hallway inside the First Niagara Center, ... Read the full article
Robin Lehner hasn’t played since opening night. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Robin Lehner and defenseman Mark Pysyk will begin AHL rehab assignments with the Rochester Americans later this week, coach Dan Bylsma said this morning.
The Amerks play three games in three days this weekend, so Lehner might start two of the three. Bylsma also said he would be with the team a week from Wednesday.
Lehner hasn’t played since suffering a high right ankle sprain Oct. 8, opening night. Pysyk, meanwhile, ... Read the full article
Brian Gionta has four goals this season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Just weeks before his 37th birthday, Sabres captain Brian Gionta owns a coveted spot on the right wing beside slick rookie center Jack Eichel.
At an age when most players are either retired or reduced to supporting roles, the Sabres still lean heavily on Gionta in his 15th season, skating him more than 18 minutes a game in every situation.
“I feel the overall game is there,” Gionta said Friday ... Read the full article
Sabres captain Brian Gionta skates away from the New York Islanders’ Thomas Hickey on Thursday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Following the Sabres’ 2-1 loss Thursday, center Ryan O’Reilly wasn’t taking any solace in the improved power play they showcased against the New York Islanders.
Sure, the Sabres’ struggling power play got its first goal, an O’Reilly score, in eight games, ending a zero for 24 run. And early on, with rookie center Jack Eichel promoted to the top unit, the Sabres pumped seven shots on goal during their first chance, helping them ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel had a career-high four points Saturday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Coach Dan Bylsma isn’t sure what sparked it. Perhaps it was Jack Eichel’s secondary assist on the first goal Saturday in Boston. Or maybe it was the slick center’s tying score late in the Sabres’ thrilling 6-3 comeback win against the Bruins, the rookie’s first NHL game in his hometown.
Whatever happened, for the first time in a while, Bylsma said, Eichel simply enjoyed playing and “not carrying the weight of having to ... Read the full article
Sam Reinhart has eight goals this season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The improvements, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said, have been “drastic.” In a matter of months, winger Sam Reinhart has transformed himself from a raw prospect into a first-line NHL talent.
Reinhart, of course, possessed supreme hockey intelligence when the Sabres drafted him second overall in 2014. Now, the rookie, 20, has developed the physical tools to compliment his strong mind.
“You have to give him a lot of credit for his diligent work,” ... Read the full article
Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges (4) battles Chicago captain Jonathan Toews on Saturday afternoon. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Ten minutes after the Sabres’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks ended Saturday afternoon, center Ryan O’Reilly looked inconsolable.
“It’s embarrassing, pathetic and it’s not good enough,” O’Reilly said quietly.
Minutes earlier, with the Sabres down three men and clinging to a 2-1 lead, O’Reilly had nearly sealed the game, narrowly missing an empty net from his own blue line.
The Blackhawks then seized their fresh opportunity during a frantic finish, getting ... Read the full article
