Pilut - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Jake McCabe close to returning; Phil Housley mixes up centers

BUFFALO – After skating with his teammates for the first time this morning since suffering an upper-body injury Nov. 29, Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe figures he can return by the weekend.

McCabe, who will miss his ninth game tonight, has skated eight of the last nine days, only taking Monday off.

While McCabe only has one team session under his belt – a light morning skate as the Sabres prepared for the Florida Panthers – ... Read the full article

Sabres defensemen Brendan Guhle, Matt Hunwick to make season debuts

Buffalo Sabres defensemen Brendan Guhle and Matt Hunwick will make their season debuts in this afternoon’s tilt against the Bruins, coach Phil Housley told reporters in Boston.

With defenseman Nathan Beaulieu day-to-day with an upper-body injury, according to Housley, the Sabres recalled Guhle, 21, from the Rochester Americans this afternoon.

To make room, the Sabres placed defenseman Lawrence Pilut (lower body) on injured reserve.

Hunwick, meanwhile, just completed an AHL conditioning stint after suffering a ... Read the full article

Goalie Carter Hutton’s puck-handling skills key asset for Sabres

BUFFALO – As soon as Carter Hutton grabbed the puck, the entire Sabres bench stood up. His teammates knew their goalie was eyeing the empty net about 175 feet away.

And for an oh-so-brief second, it appeared Hutton would shoot it down the ice and cap off Thursday’s victory in the craziest of fashions by scoring his first NHL goal.

“My first thought was he was 100 percent going to get it,” winger Evan Rodrigues ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zach Bogosian ‘looked like a man possessed’ against Coyotes

BUFFALO – Zach Bogosian certainly earned his maintenance day today. In the third period of Thursday’s 3-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes, the Sabres defenseman played a whopping 11 minutes, 13 seconds.

Bogosian stayed on the ice for the final 2:42 of the tilt as the Coyotes pulled goalie Darcy Kuemper and pushed to tie the game. Overall, Bogosian played 25 minutes, 10 seconds in the Sabres’ second consecutive victory.

“He looked like a man ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Carter Hutton still out to prove himself

BUFFALO – Even in a new role as an NHL starter, Sabres goalie Carter Hutton’s mentality hasn’t changed. The popular veteran still acts like he’s trying to crack the big leagues.

“He’s just trying to prove himself every day, whether (it was) earlier in his career, when he was a backup, (or) now he’s in the No. 1 position where he’s played a lot of hockey,” said Sabres coach Phil Housley, who knows Hutton from ... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Lawrence Pilut looking comfortable in NHL

BUFFALO – If you’ve watched Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut closely, you possibly noticed he often taps his stick on the ice before shooting the puck.

Why? The rookie said he wants to get rid of the snow that has accumulated on his blade.

“Get a feel for the puck a little better,” Pilut explained after recording an assist in Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings inside KeyBank Center.... Read the full article

Sabres roar back to down Kings in overtime, end losing skid

BUFFALO – We’d seen contests like Tuesday’s come-from-behind 4-3 victory against the Los Angeles Kings from the Sabres before. They played, oh, about eight of them during their thrilling 10-game winning streak last month.

After a nondescript or subpar opening 40 minutes or so, the Sabres often roar back late and win in overtime or a shootout.

It’s a risky way to win games, for sure, but those type of triumphs briefly elevated them to ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Lawrence Pilut making case to stick in NHL

BUFFALO – Every once in a while a prospect like Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut comes along. After a short apprenticeship in the AHL – maybe just a few months or less – he arrives in the NHL and stays for good.

For as much as the Sabres and other teams stress development and paying dues, some guys are just ready for the big leagues right away.

Pilut, 22, is just four games into his career. ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Tyler Ennis happy in fourth-line role with Maple Leafs

BUFFALO – Instead of being relied upon to produce offense, ex-Sabres winger Tyler Ennis is now a fourth-liner.

Sure, Ennis, 29, skates on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ second power-play unit. The former first-round pick even started the season on the No. 1 line beside center Auston Matthews and Patrick Marleau.

But Ennis is no longer the ultra-slick presence from his early days. The concussions he suffered in his final seasons with the Sabres helped stymie ... Read the full article

Sabres recall Matt Tennyson from Amerks with Jake McCabe hurt

Is Buffalo Sabres defense prospect Lawrence Pilut going to make his NHL debut tonight?

The Sabres recalled defenseman Matt Tennyson from the Rochester Americans this morning, meaning Jake McCabe, who left Thursday’s 5-4 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning with an undisclosed injury, likely won’t play tonight against the Florida Panthers.

Update: Pilut will play, according to reports out of Florida.

In addition, the Sabres activated forward Patrik Berglund from injured reserved ... Read the full article