WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
December Edition
BUFFALO – Don’t fret, Sabres fans. The Foligno jump is coming. It’ll just have to take place following Marcus Foligno’s second goal.
The top prospect planned to honor his father, popular former Sabres captain Mike Foligno, by leaping into the air to celebrate his first big league score.
Mike jumped after about every one of his 355 goals from 1979-94. Marcus’ brother Nick Foligno, a Senators winger, paid homage once as a rookie in 2007.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Thomas Vanek, who left Thursday’s 3-1 loss in Boston after the Bruins’ Johnny Boychuk leveled him, is questionable (upper body) for tonight’s game in Ottawa against the Senators.
“Thomas is doing OK,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff told reporters Friday in Ottawa. “I can’t answer that question (if Vanek will play). I think it all just depends on how he’s feeling tomorrow.”
Vanek didn’t practice Friday. Neither did winger Patrick Kaleta, who ... Read the full article
Drew Schiestel was the Sabres’ top defense prospect last season. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Last winter, Sabres defense prospect Drew Schiestel earned an AHL All-Star berth.
With 23 points and a gaudy plus-15 rating in Portland, a recall seemed inevitable for the 59th pick in 2007. Then, two games before the big tilt, Schiestel tore his ACL, shelving him for the season.
The 22-year-old hurt his knee again on opening night for Rochester this season, his first appearance in eight months.
On Tuesday, the Sabres loaned ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – A scintillating week in which he posted two shutouts has earned Sabres goalie Ryan Miller the NHL’s first star for the period ending March 4.
For the week, Miller went 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .974 save percentage.
Miller dazzled Wednesday, making 43 saves – a franchise record for a shutout – during a 2-0 win in Anaheim. He stopped 39 shots Thursday in a 1-0 victory in San Jose. He ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – With defenseman Robyn Regehr’s injury leaving the Sabres with only 18 healthy skaters, they summoned rookie winger Marcus Foligno from Rochester prior to Saturday’s tilt in Vancouver against the Canucks.
Defenseman Alexander Sulzer, acquired from Vancouver on Monday, replaced Regehr, making his Sabres debut, just his 13th appearance this season.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Regehr is day-to-day with a “mid-to-lower” injury he suffered Thursday in San Jose.
Sulzer began the game ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Ryan Miller and center Paul Gaustad had been beside each other every step of their 10-year professional careers.
Naturally, seeing the Sabres deal Gaustad to Nashville for a first-round pick Monday jolted Miller, who’s sad to see his close friend leave.
“A pretty tough day,” Miller told reporters Tuesday in Anaheim. “I’m not going to lie. I’m not real happy about the way it all turned out. But that’s the business ... Read the full article
The Sabres selected Paul Gaustad 220nd overall in 2000. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – If it meant getting better in the future, Darcy Regier said the Sabres would take a minor step back at the NHL trade deadline. Sixty-two games into the season, the Stanley Cup talk for the 12th-place club has ceased. Monday was about utilizing assets and filling a glaring need for a scoring center.
Clearly, the general manager had a plan to fix his underachieving team, which was six points out of eighth place ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – On Monday, concussed winger Cody McCormick said he thought he could play later this week during the Sabres’ five-game road trip. He just needed to pass his neuro-psych test for clearance.
“A lot of guys take the test, they feel normal,” McCormick said inside the First Niagara Center. “They’re symptom-free. Maybe they don’t ace the concussion test and it takes a couple tries. Hopefully, that’s not my case and I can get through ... Read the full article
Corey Tropp recently sat out a month recovering from a concussion. ©2012, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
BUFFALO – On Dec. 9 against Florida, Dmitry Kulikov’s wicked hit concussed gritty Sabres winger Corey Tropp, ending the rookie’s third recall early. Tropp wouldn’t fully recover for nearly two months.
When he had supposedly healed, the Sabres sent Tropp to Rochester on Jan. 2. But the 22-year-old responded poorly to his first three appearances, so the Americans shut him down until Feb. 8, giving him a full month between games.
“It was frustrating at ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Jason Pominville grew up in Quebec and still makes his offseason home there. The bilingual Sabres captain knows the Montreal Canadiens market well. He understands “the circumstances of the public wanting a French-speaking coach.”
“But at the same time,” Pominville said Friday morning inside the First Niagara Center, “I don’t think you can pass up a guy that could be your best option even though he doesn’t speak the language.”
Randy Cunneyworth, the ... Read the full article