Rolston - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Vanek not practicing today

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Thomas Vanek, who took a lethal Christian Ehrhoff shot off the hip early in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win in Montreal, isn’t practicing with his teammates this morning inside the First Niagara Center.

Interim Sabres coach Ron Rolston said Tuesday that Vanek (lower body) was limping around and day-to-day.

Vanek’s 14 goals and 31 points lead the Sabres. The Austrian has been banged up all season, missing three games.... Read the full article

Rolston wise to switch up Sabres’ top trio

In reality, the Buffalo Sabres’ top trio – Thomas Vanek, Cody Hodgson and Jason Pominville – should’ve been broken up or tweaked weeks ago.

Since roaring out of the gate as the NHL’s best line in January, the line has cooled off considerably.

Vanek, once hockey’s most lethal scoring threat, has only three goals and eight points in the last 15 games. Pominville has three goals and eight points in the last 19 contests.

Not ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth should receive late-season action

See, this is what happens when you have a backup goalie you trust. You can, you know, play him occasionally.

Jhonas Enroth will start tonight for the Sabres against the Canadiens in Montreal, his third nod in six games after receiving only two in the first 24 contests.

This was originally the Sabres’ plan; Enroth would spell No. 1 netminder Ryan Miller regularly, start about every fourth game.

With Enroth playing well again – ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Myers hoping defense-first philosophy will turn around season

BUFFALO – The Sabres’ coaching staff recently conveyed a straightforward message to Tyler Myers, their struggling franchise defenseman.

“They don’t care if I only get one more point the whole year,” Myers said Friday. “As long as my defensive game is good and where it needs to be, then they’ll be happy. Obviously, I know I can bring more to the table. It’s just a matter of doing the right things first and then finding ... Read the full article

Which Sabres forward would Rolston sit if Kaleta returns?

Considering the Buffalo Sabres have lost two straight, six of seven (1-3-3) and rank 14^th in the Eastern Conference with only 10 wins and 24 points, this shouldn’t be hard, right?

So, assuming the Sabres put agitator Patrick Kaleta back in the lineup Tuesday in Montreal, which forward should Ron Rolston scratch?

The Sabres’ interim coach didn’t want to bench anyone Sunday in Washington when Kaleta was eligible to play following a five-game boarding ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rolston sending Kaleta a message with scratch

Patrick Kaleta is seething because he will be scratched tonight. The Angola native, the Buffalo Sabres’ chief agitator, has enjoyed a regular spot in the lineup for years, never sitting unless he’s hurt or suspended (so he does miss a lot of games).

But against the Washington Capitals, the aggressive winger, who’s eligible to return from a five-game boarding suspension, will be benched as a healthy scratch.

“I’m (ticked) off. I want to play,” ... Read the full article

Awful second period dooms Sabres in overtime loss to Senators

BUFFALO – The Sabres haven’t been able to buck the disturbing trend this season. Their second periods are terrible. During the opening 20 minutes Saturday afternoon inside the First Niagara Center, they dominated the Ottawa Senators, giving themselves a 2-0 lead after one period for the first time all year.

Then, halfway through the second period, the game was tied. The Senators grabbed their first lead at the 18:57 mark.

Incredibly, the Sabres have ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Leino impresses in return from hip injury

BUFFALO – Ron Rolston wasted no time, throwing Ville Leino right into the fire Saturday afternoon, the winger’s first game since April 7.

The Sabres’ interim coach put Leino, sidelined by a hip injury the first 27 games this season, out for the opening faceoff inside the First Niagara Center.

“It was good for me,” Leino said about starting the game after the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators. “It made me ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rolston believes Brennan’s offense will materialize with Panthers

BUFFALO – Under coach Ron Rolston in Rochester, T.J. Brennan thrived, developing into an AHL star and arguably the league’s most dynamic offensive defenseman.

But that scoring prowess hasn’t translated to the NHL. Brennan played sparingly in the big leagues this season, sitting 17 of the Sabres’ 27 games as a healthy scratch.

Even when Rolston took over on an interim basis Feb. 20, the 23-year-old kept sitting, playing only four games under his old ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Darcy Regier says sending Mikhail Grigorenko to junior best move

BUFFALO – Sending rookie Mikhail Grigorenko back to junior wasn’t a snap decision the Sabres made to reach the 23-man roster limit, general manager Darcy Regier said this afternoon. The team had been talking about the move for a while.

If the 18-year-old center wasn’t getting scratched, he had been playing sparingly during most of his 22 appearances.

“This isn’t driven by a roster move,” Regier said inside the First Niagara Center. “This is driven ... Read the full article