Rochester Americans - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Report: Sam Reinhart out a week with Amerks; Sabres recall Chad Ruhwedel

BUFFALO – Top Sabres prospect Sam Reinhart’s AHL debut with the Rochester Americans is in on hold.

The 19-year-old center, the No. 2 pick in June, has a nagging injury and will likely play for the team in one week, according to WHTK’s Rob Sanderson. It was expected Reinhart would play tonight when the Amerks host Toronto.

The Sabres assigned Reinhart to Rochester on Thursday, three days after his junior season ended.

In other ... Read the full article

Sabres should close with intense opponents

BUFFALO – Expect the Sabres’ final two games this season – Friday’s road tilt in Columbus and Saturday’s finale against Pittsburgh – to be slightly more intense than Monday’s 4-3 home win against Carolina, a drab affair.

The Blue Jackets, having won nine straight games recently, are scorching. The Penguins might need the game to make the playoffs.

“Carolina’s out, we’re out,” Sabres coach Ted Nolan said. “When you have two out, it’s tougher. But ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Sam Reinhart going to Amerks; Connor McDavid ranks No. 1

BUFFALO – The Sabres will give top prospect Sam Reinhart another crack at the pro game this season.

With Reinhart’s junior season and career over, the No. 2 pick was assigned to the AHL Rochester Americans on Wednesday, according to the Kootenay Ice’s website.

The Calgary Hitmen eliminated the Ice on Monday in a seven-game first-round Western Hockey League playoff matchup

Reinhart started the season with the Sabres, registering one assist in nine ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste thriving in new role with Otters

Joining a loaded Erie Otters team featuring Connor McDavid and two other slick 100-point scorers earlier this season has allowed Buffalo Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste to sharpen and expand his game before he begins his pro career.

The Ontario Hockey League powerhouse doesn’t rely on the winger’s offense.

The Otters have McDavid, hockey’s biggest prospect in a decade; Dylan Strome, the league’s leading scorer; and Alex DeBrincat, who quietly scored 51 goals, more than ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Marcus Foligno looks to brother’s star play for inspiration

BUFFALO – For about 24 hours, Marcus Foligno enjoyed the family’s bragging rights. The Sabres winger felt good after scoring twice Friday, his first goals in 24 games.

Then Foligno’s older brother, Nick, a breakout star with the Columbus Blue Jackets, outdid him Saturday, scoring his first NHL hat trick and hitting the prestigious 30-goal, 70-point marks.

“He had to go out and one-up me,” Marcus Foligno joked Monday prior to the Sabres’ 4-3 win ... Read the full article

Sabres prospects Eric Cornel, Brycen Martin joining Amerks

BUFFALO – The Rochester Americans, a team decimated by recalls, have signed 18-year-old Sabres draft picks Eric Cornel and Brycen Martin to amateur tryouts.

Cornel, a center selected 44^th in June, had 14 goals and 52 points in 66 games this season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Peterborough Petes. He has 43 goals and 130 points in 197 OHL games.

Martin, a defenseman picked 74^th in June, had seven goals and a ... Read the full article

Sabres have fought to finish

BUFFALO – For weeks, even months, the Sabres have gone all-out most nights, refusing to check out of their lost season.

They’re 2-3-1 in their last six games. On Saturday, they lost 3-0 to the New York Islanders, a game closer than the score indicated. On Friday, they fell 4-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks after blowing a late lead.

The Sabres, who host the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, just took two strong playoff teams to the ... Read the full article

End in sight for Sabres after long season

BUFFALO – Finally – or perhaps a more appropriate word would be “mercifully” – the end of the Sabres’ long, trying season is in sight.

Three games are left. A regulation loss tonight at home to the Carolina Hurricanes or later this week will cement 30^th place, ending probably the oddest campaign in the franchise’s 45-year history.

Hours after the Sabres’ 3-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday, the 29^th-place ... Read the full article

Sabres assistant coach Bryan Trottier has special memories of Nassau Coliseum

BUFFALO – New York Islanders legend Bryan Trottier remembers the noise. The roar inside Nassau Coliseum would become deafening, funneling down from the stands to the ice.

“To the point where you’re reading lips,” Trottier, a Sabres assistant coach, said Friday. “Until you actually experience it, it’s just fantastic.”

The Isles are moving to bigger and better digs 24 miles away next season, the shiny Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Trottier, a Hall of Famer who ... Read the full article

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