Philadelphia Flyers - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Chad Ruhwedel out with concussion after elbow to head

Sabres defenseman Chad Ruhwedel suffered a concussion when Flyers agitator Zac Rinaldo elbowed him in the head 4:29 into the third period Sunday, Buffalo coach Ted Nolan said.

“Those are tough hits that we have to get rid of,” Nolan told reporters in Philadelphia following the Sabres’ 5-2 loss. “Those are not only dangerous hits, but it’s a putting a fellow player in jeopardy of his career.”

He added: “It’s just a dirty hit, and ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Marcus Foligno, Chris Stewart could return Tuesday

Surprise, surpise.

Three days after suffering what appeared to be a season-ending right leg injury, Sabres winger Marcus Foligno skated with his teammates this morning in Philadelphia and could play Tuesday.

“I was very shocked and quite surprised that he was able to walk around yesterday, and all of a sudden, to see him on the ice today … it’s very encouraging news,” coach Ted Nolan told reporters this afternoon in Philadelphia after the ... Read the full article

Sabres blow late lead in front of goalie Jhonas Enroth, fall to Flyers

BUFFALO – The dressing room door swung open and sitting in the first stall, his pads and much of his equipment still attached to his sweat-drenched body, was Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth, the hard-luck loser again, staring straight ahead.

Finally, it appeared the Sabres might win a game for the backup, who earned his only victory this season Oct. 25.

The Sabres took an early 2-1 third-period lead against the Philadelphia Flyers on ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Pat LaFontaine believes Mikhail Grigorenko can thrive in junior

BUFFALO – The old school part of hockey, Pat LaFontaine said, is earning your keep. There has to be a standard. Players must perform consistently once they crack the NHL.

LaFontaine, a Hockey Hall of Famer, skated on the fourth line as a teenage NHL phenom. Legendary New York Islanders coach Al Arbour wouldn’t let him take a defensive-zone faceoff for years.

Former general manager Darcy Regier gave 19-year-old Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko a roster ... Read the full article

Sabres want to get goalie Jhonas Enroth win tonight against Flyers

BUFFALO – Maybe, just maybe, this will be Jhonas Enroth’s night.

The Sabres have points in eight straight home games (6-0-2) entering tonight’s tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers. The backup goalie, a hard-luck loser all season, has been playing tremendously, posting a 1.97 goals-against average and .916 save percentage in his last four starts.

Overall, Enroth has a 2.46 goals-against average and .916 save percentage, but a terrible 1-8-4 mark.

The Sabres have scored just ... Read the full article

Matt Moulson open to staying with Sabres, not worried about getting traded again

BUFFALO – Thirty games into what could be a very short Sabres career, Matt Moulson said he’s given a lot of thought to a future he can’t control yet.

The winger, quietly one of the NHL’s top goal scorers for years, would be coveted as an unrestricted free agent this summer. But before that, if the Sabres want to deal the 30-year-old, he’d be in high demand as a rental prior to the March 5 ... Read the full article

Ted Nolan wants ‘a little bit more’ from Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko

BUFFALO – Interim Sabres coach Ted Nolan spoke bluntly Monday about 19-year-old prospect Mikhail Grigorenko, who refused an assignment to junior Saturday before accepting it a day later.

“We can’t control what people do and what they say, but we can certainly control how we’re going to run this organization and what we feel is necessary for the development of young players,” Nolan said after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers ... Read the full article

Ted Nolan’s strong words mean Sabres will start making more moves

Bet on it. In the next week or so, the hapless Buffalo Sabres will trade or waive at least one underachieving veteran.

Ted Nolan has seen enough just four games into his tenure.

“The gloves are officially off,” the interim coach told reporters Thursday in Philadelphia following the Sabres’ weak 4-1 loss, their third straight setback. “Now we got to do certain things in order to play. If you don’t, you’re not.”

The youth excuse ... Read the full article

Sabres trying to find ‘best solution’ for Mikhail Grigorenko

BUFFALO – Mikhail Grigorenko figured he’d be starting a two-week AHL conditioning assignment Wednesday. The 19-year-old Sabres prospect had already dropped his equipment off at the rink and checked into a Rochester hotel when a team front office member contacted him at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The NHL had rejected the assignment.

Grigorenko drove back to Buffalo and practiced with the Sabres hours later.

What happened?

“You read the rules and see how they work,” interim ... Read the full article

Sabres reward Luke Adam and Brayden McNabb for strong starts with Amerks

BUFFALO – Luke Adam figured he had fallen out of the Sabres’ plans. The 23-year-old winger, a strong Calder Trophy candidate two years ago at this time, barely received a look during the exhibition season.

The struggling, goal-starved team then refused to summon Adam from Rochester as he began piling up scores and recapturing his old form.

“I think they kind of had their mind made up,” Adam said Wednesday inside the First Niagara Center ... Read the full article