WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
March Edition
C.J. Smith has compiled 41 points in 41 AHL games this season. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Sooner or later, coach Phil Housley had to make some significant changes, right? The Sabres have fallen from first overall to three points out of a playoff spot.
Having compiled an awful 8-14-4 mark in their last 26 games, their marathon slump has surpassed the two-month mark. In their last 10 outings, they’re 3-7.
In recent games, the Sabres have shown little interest in playing defense and struggled to score goals. Their power ... Read the full article
Carter Hutton got yanked after 40 minutes. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – An agitated Phil Housley mentioned it four times during his three-and-a-half minute news conference following Friday’s ugly 7-3 loss to the last-place Chicago Blackhawks.
The Sabres don’t respect the defensive side of the game.
In their sixth loss in eight games, the Sabres, like so many other recent outings, played a one-dimensional contest, simply focusing on their offense. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, exploited seemingly every miscue, scoring five goals off turnovers.
The ugly, disjointed ... Read the full article
Casey Mittelstadt has strong chemistry with his linemates. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – One of the best stretches of Casey Mittelstadt’s 57-game NHL career – two goals and four points over seven recent contests – hasn’t boosted the Sabres rookie’s confidence.
“I don’t think I’m more confident or anything,” Mittelstadt said prior to Friday’s 7-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks inside KeyBank Center. “I don’t struggle in that department.”
Mittelstadt, 20, doesn’t lack confidence.
“I know what I’m capable of doing,” the slick center said.... Read the full article
Lawrence Pilut hasn’t played since Jan. 18. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Rejoice, Sabres fans. Rookie defenseman Lawrence Pilut will return tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks after sitting out two straight games as a healthy scratch.
Sabres coach Phil Housley changed his blue line the last two contests, inserting Matt Hunwick and Nathan Beaulieu while Pilut, 23, watched.
While Housley said he liked what the veterans showcased, Pilut, a slick youngster fans have been clamoring to see, will play his first game since Jan. 18.... Read the full article
Goalie Carter Hutton could see plenty of action during the Sabres’ home stand. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – For a struggling team that must rattle off wins if it hopes to snag a playoff spot for the first time since 2011, this is a gift. Starting tonight, the Sabres play their next seven games at home.
How rare is a seven-game home stand? It’s the longest in franchise history, tying a stretch from Jan. 20 to Feb. 2, 1997.
The Sabres’ season hinges on this 15-day stretch. Realistically, they need to ... Read the full article
Tampa Bay goalie Louis Domingue makes a save last season with the Sabres’ Sam Reinhart close by. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Twenty games ago, the upstart Sabres grabbed the top spot in the NHL after winning their 10th straight contest.
At that point, 25 games into the season, the Sabres appeared ahead of schedule. While many observers believed they could possibly contend for a playoff spot, few thought they would be the league’s best team more than a quarter into the campaign.
Fast forward to today, and the Sabres have fallen hard. Yes, they’re ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner has been celebrating a lot this season. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Jeff Skinner knows returning to Carolina, where he became the face of the Hurricanes over eight seasons, will have special meaning.
Skinner, 26, was a star from the get-go in Raleigh, scoring 31 goals and winning the Calder Trophy as a rookie in 2010-11. He surpassed the 30-goal mark two other times.
During some lean seasons, Skinner, who has already scored 29 goals in 43 games, was usually the Hurricanes’ most ... Read the full article
Drew Stafford often skates on the fourth line. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Former Sabres winger Drew Stafford still remembers the first time he saw Mike Grier.
It was the mid-1990s, more than a decade before they became teammates with the Sabres for two seasons. Stafford would sometimes help his uncle, Barry, the Edmonton Oilers’ equipment manager, as a stick boy. Grier, meanwhile, was just beginning his 14-year NHL career as a winger.
“I was like, ‘This is the largest human being I’ve even seen ... Read the full article
Drew Stafford has received limited action this season. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Former Sabres winger Drew Stafford still remembers the first time he saw Mike Grier.
It was the mid-1990s, more than a decade before they became teammates with the Sabres for two seasons. Stafford would sometimes help his uncle, Barry, the Edmonton Oilers’ equipment manager, as a stick boy. Grier, meanwhile, was just beginning his 14-year NHL career as a winger.
“I was like, ‘This is the largest human being I’ve even seen ... Read the full article
Jason Pominville smiles during Sunday’s Sabres Skills Challenge. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Barely two months ago, Jason Pominville was enjoying a renaissance. As his 1,000th NHL game and 36th birthday approached, the affable Sabres winger kept piling up goals and points.
On Nov. 17, Pominville scored his ninth goal and 17th point in the Sabres’ 20th game. But since then, he has mustered just one assist.
Pominville, the Sabres’ biggest early-season surprise, has a 17-game goal drought entering tonight’s tilt against the New Jersey Devils ... Read the full article