O'Reilly - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Jamie McGinn proud of brothers

BUFFALO – Growing up in Fergus, Ont., a community of almost 20,000 about two hours west of Toronto, the McGinn boys made everything into a competition.

Forget about hockey or lacrosse, the sports they played regularly. Sabres winger Jamie McGinn and his brothers, Tye, a Tampa Bay Lightning winger, and Brock, a Carolina Hurricanes winger, competed over trivial things like who had the best hair or even a Frisbee toss.

“I think it even started ... Read the full article

Nick Deslauriers and Marcus Foligno thriving on Sabres’ No. 1 line

BUFFALO – These days, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma’s options are limited. His top two wingers, Tyler Ennis and Evander Kane, are injured. So under normal circumstances, Nick Deslauriers and Marcus Foligno wouldn’t be flanking No. 1 center Ryan O’Reilly.

The big bodies are known more for their grit than their goal scoring.

“You don’t see Deslauriers and Foligno and call it a first line,” coach Dan Bylsma said Saturday inside HarborCenter after the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Josh Gorges knows hit looks ugly; Ryan O’Reilly earns day off

BUFFALO – Some quick updates from HarborCenter, where the Sabres practiced today before catching a flight to New York for Sunday’s tilt against the Islanders:

– Defenseman Josh Gorges won’t face any supplemental discipline for hitting Philadelphia’s Matt Read head-first into the corner boards late Friday, according to the Buffalo News.

Gorges was given a five-minute boarding major and ejected from the Sabres’ 3-1 win.

“From a couple of angles it doesn’t look great,” Gorges ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tyler Ennis out against Flyers

BUFFALO – Some quick updates from the First Niagara Center, where the Sabres host the Philadelphia Flyers tonight:

– A lower-body injury will sideline Sabres winger Tyler Ennis, whose three goals are tied for the team lead, for a second straight game, coach Dan Bylsma said. Ennis missed the Sabres’ 4-3 loss in Pittsburgh on Thursday. He skated briefly this morning. Marcus Foligno subbed on the right wing beside center Ryan O’Reilly and Nick Deslaurier ... Read the full article

Sabres can’t complete comeback against Penguins

PITTSBURGH – A year or two ago, as the Buffalo Sabres rebuilt their lineup from the ground up, a game like their exciting 4-3 loss to the Penguins on Thursday would’ve turned into an utter annihilation.

But against a team that usually destroys them, the Sabres roared back from an early 2-0 deficit inside the Consol Energy Center, their personal house of horrors, tying it before the first period ended.

When the Penguins went up ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Mike Weber understands role well

PITTSBURGH – By now, after years and years of getting scratched, gritty veteran Mike Weber knows sitting out occasionally accompanies his role as the Buffalo Sabres’ sixth or seventh defenseman.

“You never want to come out,” Weber said Thursday, “so I understand it’s kind of unfortunately built into my role for reasons unknown. … I just continue to come to the rink determined to work hard and be a good teammate, and when I get ... Read the full article

Penguins prospect Daniel Sprong used to overshadow Sabres’ Jack Eichel

PITTSBURGH – A few years back, when Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel played in summer hockey tournaments, spectators would flock to whichever rink had the talented youngster destined for the NHL.

They weren’t looking for Eichel, the second overall pick in June.

Instead, they wanted to see Daniel Sprong, a slick winger the Penguins drafted 46^th overall.

“When we were young, he was, like, unbelievable, best player in all those summer tournaments,” Eichel ... Read the full article

Sabres know Evander Kane’s loss will hurt

BUFFALO – The bad news, in some odd way, was still good for the struggling Sabres. A left MCL injury will only sideline winger Evander Kane four to six weeks, coach Dan Bylsma said.

At least the former 30-goal scorer will play again this season.

After New Jersey’s David Schlemko hit Kane hard into the corner boards late Saturday in the Sabres’ 4-3 loss, it appeared he might be finished as he writhed in pain ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Evander Kane out 4-6 weeks with MCL injury

BUFFALO – A left MCL injury will sideline Sabres winger Evander Kane four to six weeks, coach Dan Bylsma said this afternoon.

So a 2-6 team with only 15 goals all season is now missing arguably its most natural goal scorer.

Bylsma said he didn’t know if the injury is a sprain. Kane doesn’t need surgery.

“It could’ve been a lot worse,” Bylsma said inside the First Niagara Center. “I don’t know if I sighed ... Read the full article

Sabres lose game to Devils, Evander Kane to injury

BUFFALO – It’s not even Halloween, and the Sabres’ season is already starting to fall apart.

If losing for sixth time in eight tries wasn’t bad enough, winger Evander Kane left the Sabres’ 4-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils with what appeared to be a left knee injury after David Schlemko hit him hard into the corner boards with 9:31 left in the game.

Kane, perhaps the Sabres’ most natural goal scorer, stayed down ... Read the full article