Matt Moulson (26) could miss tonight’s game. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Matt Moulson sick; Sabres might need to recall player; Update: Tim Schaller recalled

BUFFALO – Winger Matt Moulson woke up this morning feeling ill. Meanwhile, defenseman Mike Weber woke up feeling sore.

The Sabres don’t have an extra forward. Rochester is playing tonight in Iowa, so recalling one for tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks won’t be easy.

What will the Sabres do?

“That’s a big question,” Sabres coach Ted Nolan said this morning inside the First Niagara Center.

The Sabres haven’t ruled Moulson out. Defenseman Tyson Strachan ... Read the full article

Patrick Kaleta had tears in his eyes when he was presented a jersey with an ‘A’ sewn on. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta honored to wear letter: ‘I was at a loss for words’

BUFFALO – It was Wednesday morning, and before the Sabres hit the ice, Ted Nolan had some business to take care of in a team meeting. The coach handed Mike Weber a jersey, which the defenseman then tossed to winger Patrick Kaleta.

The jersey was Kaleta’s No. 36 with an ‘A’ stitched on it, meaning Weber wanted the heart-and-soul player to take over his alternate captaincy.

Emotion overwhelmed Kaleta. The 28-year-old Angola native had ... Read the full article

Patrick Kaleta wore the ‘A’ for the first time Wednesday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Patrick Kaleta on wearing letter: ‘It really means the world to me’

BUFFALO – It was Wednesday morning, and before the Sabres hit the ice, Ted Nolan had some business to take care of in a team meeting. The coach handed Mike Weber a jersey, which the defenseman then tossed to winger Patrick Kaleta.

The jersey was Kaleta’s No. 36 with an ‘A’ stitched on it, meaning Weber wanted the heart-and-soul player to take over his alternate captaincy.

Emotion overwhelmed Kaleta. The 28-year-old Angola native had ... Read the full article

T.J. Brennan played 21 games with the Sabres. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Former Sabres prospect T.J. Brennan back in NHL after long journey

BUFFALO – In the beginning, former Sabres prospect T.J. Brennan followed a normal path to the NHL. The high-scoring defenseman developed four seasons in the AHL before briefly cracking the Sabres two years ago.

Back then, Brennan, who grew up in New Jersey playing lacrosse, didn’t fully understand what it took to make the NHL.

“I’ve always been kind of learn as I go,” Brennan said Wednesday prior to the Sabres’ 4-3 win against the ... Read the full article

Tyler Ennis (63) jostles with Florida’s Brian Campbell earlier this season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Sabres’ Tyler Ennis ready to play; Rasmus Ristolainen sick

BUFFALO – Sometimes, Sabres winger Tyler Ennis said, he has to realize he’s only 5-foot-5 and not a 6-foot-3 behemoth. Trying to thump a larger opponent usually isn’t the best idea.

Ennis, who’s listed at 5-foot-9, went after someone bigger Thursday and paid the price, suffering an upper-body injury. The Sabres’ top offensive threat missed two games but will return tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Maybe I got to tone down the hits,” Ennis ... Read the full article

Arizona goalie Mike Smith pokes the puck away from Tyler Ennis on Thursday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Sabres’ Tyler Ennis enjoying special season

BUFFALO – Sometimes you focus so much on the future, Sabres coach Ted Nolan said, the present can easily be forgotten about.

When the rebuilding Sabres surround Tyler Ennis with better talent in the coming years, the slick winger could become one of the NHL’s elite talents.

But right now, the 25-year-old, who will likely miss tonight’s game with an upper-body injury, is a special player. The former first-round pick is often the Sabres’ only ... Read the full article

Nikita Zadorov (51) skates in on Philadelphia’s R.J. Umberger earlier this year. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Ted Nolan unhappy with Sabres rookie Nikita Zadorov

BUFFALO – In Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes, Sabres defenseman Nikita Zadorov was benched, skating only nine minutes, 46 seconds.

“Maybe 10 minutes too much,” Sabres coach Ted Nolan said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center.

Yikes!

Expect the 19-year-old rookie to be scratched Saturday in Colorado. Nolan has clearly grown tired of the Russian’s poor work habits.

“When you’re going for certain things, the expectations and what you have to ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Matt Hackett stops Arizona’s Shane Doan on Thursday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Sabres fans revel in loss, cheer for Coyotes

BUFFALO – Mike Weber spoke passionately, like a man who felt jilted. The gritty defenseman had just experienced perhaps the oddest game of his career, the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes.

The payoff, the prize for all the “suffering” for two seasons had been laid in front of Sabres fans Thursday, creating a bizarre scene inside the First Niagara Center that will likely never be repeated.

A loss to the 29th... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Anders Lindback gloves a shot Monday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Sabres play Capitals tough, fall in shootout

BUFFALO – After getting throttled nine days earlier in Washington, the Sabres wanted another crack at the Capitals oh-so badly. The blowout loss left the rebuilding club bitter.

“It was a stinker last time we were in Washington,” winger Tyler Ennis said Monday following the Sabres’ entertaining and spirited 4-3 shootout loss. “They had their No. 1 unit out when it was 5-1, and they scored to make it 6-1 and celebrated pretty hard.”

The ... Read the full article

Phil Varone celebrates his first NHL goal last season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Sabres’ Phil Varone excited for Toronto debut; Goalie Anders Lindback to start

TORONTO – Buffalo Sabres center Phil Varone didn’t want to leave the Air Canada Centre ice this afternoon. The native of nearby Vaughn, Ontario, a town about 30 minutes north of here, wanted to soak everything in prior to his first game against the Maple Leafs.

“I was just saying I think this is one rink that you come into and you’re like, ‘I’m in the NHL,’” Varone said after leaving the ice after most ... Read the full article