Ottawa Senators - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres notes: Josh Gorges returns; Nick Deslauriers stays at center

BUFFALO – The badgering has finally stopped. Josh Gorges is healthy, back playing after a hip injury cost him 12 games. So Sabres coach Dan Bylsma can walk by the defenseman again without getting an earful.

“Josh has been one miserable guy to be around,” Bylsma said Saturday morning. “I don’t walk by him without him saying he’s ready to play, and that was about 15 days ago.”

Gorges, 32, played in Saturday’s 4-0 win ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Nick Deslauriers willing to play anywhere

BUFFALO – After playing center for the first time in Thursday’s 2-1 overtime loss, defenseman-turned-winger Nick Deslauriers is ready to tackle another position for the Sabres.

“I’m waiting to see if I need to stack the pads in practice soon, just to have that on my resume,” the versatile Deslauriers joked this morning inside KeyBank Center. “Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad to be like that.”

Deslauriers became a winger in 2013-14 after starting his ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Josh Gorges finally healthy

BUFFALO – The badgering has finally stopped. Josh Gorges is healthy, ready to return from a hip injury that cost him the last 12 games. So Sabres coach Dan Bylsma can walk by the defenseman again without getting an earful.

“Josh has been one miserable guy to be around,” Bylsma, who has called Gorges “crusty,” said this morning inside KeyBank Center. “I don’t walk by him without him saying he’s ready to play, and that ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Josh Gorges, Jake McCabe set to return; Justin Bailey recalled

BUFFALO – For weeks, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said, defenseman Josh Gorges “has been one miserable guy to be around.”

“I don’t walk by him without him saying he’s ready to play, and that was about 15 days ago,” Bylsma said this morning inside KeyBank Center.

Gorges, out the last 12 games with a hip injury, can finally stop badgering Bylsma. He will return tonight against the Ottawa Senators. So will defenseman Jake McCabe, ... Read the full article

Justin Falk grateful for time with Sabres

BUFFALO – On Wednesday, after almost three months of commuting back and forth to Rochester, Sabres defenseman Justin Falk moved his family into an extended-stay hotel here.

For Falk, who has shuttled between the NHL and minors for years, having his wife and two children close by, of course, offers some comfort.

“That helps … just to have a little sense of feeling at home,” said Falk, who said he sometimes made the 75-mile drive ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel wows in season debut

OTTAWA – The Jack Eichel Show started on the slick center’s third shift of the season, just 6:16 into the Buffalo Sabres’ exciting 5-4 win against the Senators.

Stationed above the left circle on the power play, Eichel showcased some supreme vision and adroit passing, finding Kyle Okposo in front for the opening goal Tuesday.

On his next shift, Eichel, 20, unleashed a wicked power-play one-timer from the left circle off Ryan O’Reilly’s feed, beating ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Evander Kane searching for first goal

OTTAWA – Five years ago, Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane enjoyed the best start of his eight-year career, scoring 18 times in his first 36 games for the Winnipeg Jets, a torrid 41-goal pace over a full season.

Then, in the midst of his career year, Kane suddenly endured an 11-game goal drought.

“Maybe I could’ve scored 40 if I didn’t have that slump,” Kane said to Tuesday prior to recording an assist in the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel ready for season debut

OTTAWA – The 21-game wait is over. Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel, sidelined by a high left ankle sprain for almost seven weeks, will make his season debut tonight against the Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Eichel can still feel the injury he sustained late in practice Oct. 12, the eve of the season opener. Still, it doesn’t restrict the second-year star.

“You can notice it at all times, to be honest,” ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel’s presence provides sense of relief for Sabres

OTTAWA – The smiles told the story. They adorned the faces of Jack Eichel’s Buffalo Sabres teammates and his coach, Dan Bylsma, who looked relieved his young star could make his season debut tonight against the Senators.

Eichel, meanwhile, tried to keep his emotions in check following a 50-minute practice Monday inside KeyBank Center. The second-year center said he has passed every hurdle – “No real restrictions,” he said – in his recovery from a ... Read the full article

Sabres lose shootout to Senators

BUFFALO – In the modern NHL, contests like the Sabres’ 2-1 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators – low-scoring, drab affairs – are all too common.

An abundance of speed and slick talent in the game hasn’t translated into more entertainment or goals. Instead, teams executive rigid systems, playing it conservative.

Wednesday’s snoozer before 17,884 fans inside KeyBank Center was a prime example.

“I don’t think either team gives a lot of room out there, ... Read the full article