WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Alexander Sulzer arrived from Vancouver last season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Defenseman Alexander Sulzer hadn’t been seen much around the Sabres since injuring his knee early in a 4-0 home loss to the New York Islanders on Feb. 23.
On Thursday, though, the German was spotted on crutches sporting a cast around his right leg in the First Niagara Center dressing room.
Not long after, interim Sabres coach Ron Rolston said Sulzer had undergone successful surgery to repair his ACL and would be out ... Read the full article
Ville Leino hasn’t played yet this season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – It’s “highly likely” Sabres winger Ville Leino, sidelined by a hip injury since Jan. 18, will make his season debut Saturday at home against Ottawa, interim coach Ron Rolston said this afternoon.
“He’s looking good,” Rolston said following practice inside the First Niagara Center. “Today we did a lot of defensive things and some more battle, and he’s doing well, where we wanted him. Tomorrow will be another test for him. But ... Read the full article
Steve Ott (9) wants more support from the home crowd. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres’ power play is awful, and their legions of fans know it. Not only does it rank 30th, it’s operating at a paltry 11.2 percent. No one else is lower than 13 percent.
In Tuesday’s 3-1 triumph over the New York Rangers, the Sabres blew all five opportunities and allowed another short-handed goal, their NHL-high fifth this season.
During one third-period chance, they iced the puck and went ... Read the full article
Steve Ott (9) drives his shoulder into the New York Rangers’ Anton Stralman on Tuesday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres’ power play is awful, and their legions of fans know it. Not only does it rank 30th, it’s operating at a paltry 11.2 percent. Only three teams have converted less than 14 percent of their chances.
In Tuesday’s 3-1 triumph over the New York Rangers, the Sabres blew all five opportunities and allowed another short-handed goal, their NHL-high fifth this season.
During one third-period chance, they iced ... Read the full article
Ville Leino struggled last season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Last season, in the first year of a six-year, $27 million contract, Ville Leino bombed. For a cool $6 million, the Sabres received eight goals and 25 points in 71 games, paying out $240,000 a point.
The Sabres initially tried converting Leino into a center again, an experiment that failed miserably. Leino was back on the wing after just a few weeks, generating little as a third- or fourth-liner.
Before the season ended, ... Read the full article
Ron Rolston took over for Lindy Ruff on Wednesday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Rebuilding the bottom-feeding, 15th-place Sabres back into a strong hockey club could be a long and arduous process following Lindy Ruff’s dismissal as coach last week.
The team’s in shambles, having lost four straight games and six of the last seven. There’s little to like about the Sabres and no quick fix.
They possess no identity.
“I know patience isn’t big with anybody,” interim coach Ron Rolston said Monday inside ... Read the full article
Adam Pardy played for the Sabres on Feb. 5. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres’ injury and on-ice woes could help defenseman Adam Pardy, an NHL regular before numbers kicked him back to the minors this season, carve out a spot on the blue line.
With Jordan Leopold (hand) and Alexander Sulzer (lower body) sidelined, the Sabres on Monday summoned Pardy from Rochester for the second time this season.
He should play tonight in Tampa Bay against the Lightning, the start of a two-game Florida ... Read the full article
Ron Rolston ran his first full practice today. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
AMHERST – Through his first two days as the Buffalo Sabres’ interim coach, Ron Rolston has been polite and quick to smile. It’s hard to imagine the 46-year-old ever raising his voice.
Still, Rolston, who coached the Sabres to a 3-1 loss Thursday in Toronto, assesses his team bluntly.
“We’re the team that blinks first when you have a stare down,” Rolston said this afternoon inside the Northtown Center following his first full practice ... Read the full article
James van Riemsdyk fires in his second goal of the game past Tyler Myers and Ryan Miller on Thursday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
TORONTO – Well, maybe it wasn’t Lindy Ruff’s fault after all. Perhaps the Buffalo Sabres are simply a bad hockey club.
If they couldn’t cobble together a strong, 60-minute effort Thursday, a day after the Sabres axed the NHL’s longest-tenured coach, will they ever?
With the franchise reeling and Ron Rolston making his debut as interim coach, the Sabres played another terrible second period, allowing two goals, the difference in the 3-1 loss ... Read the full article
Ron Rolston coaches his first NHL game Thursday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
TORONTO – Ron Rolston walked to a podium Thursday afternoon inside the Air Canada Centre, surveyed the landscape before him – about 30 reporters and a dozen cameras – and immediately cracked his first joke as the Buffalo Sabres’ interim coach.
“It looks like the same media coverage as Rochester,” joked Rolston, who replaced Lindy Ruff on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Rolston was preparing his Rochester Americans for an AHL tilt against the Texas Stars. ... Read the full article