Ruhwedel - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Even with roster mostly set, Sabres training camp has intriguing storylines

BUFFALO – For a team that just endured a brutal 54-point season and might have nine new faces in the lineup opening night, the Sabres should enjoy a remarkably quiet training camp, their first under new coach Dan Bylsma.

There are, of course, still some intriguing storylines to follow. Second overall pick Jack Eichel’s first days in the NHL promise to be exciting. Sam Reinhart, the franchise’s other top prospect, will be fighting for a ... Read the full article

Patrick Kaleta wants to return to Sabres: ‘I would do anything to be back here’

BUFFALO – Following the end of another injury-filled season in which he played only 42 games, Sabres winger Patrick Kaleta received some good news.

“I passed my physical for the first time in five years, so that was a positive this morning,” Kaleta said Sunday as the Sabres cleaned out their lockers inside the First Niagara Center.

That’s how banged up the passionate Kaleta has been over the years.

This season, a year after tearing ... Read the full article

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

Steve Bernier earns new claim to fame in Devils’ win over Sabres

BUFFALO – During a 17-game run with the Sabres late in 2007-08, Steve Bernier mustered only three goals, two of which he scored in his first game. The winger mostly disappeared after that, and he was quietly traded to Vancouver months later.

Mention Bernier’s name around some Sabres fans, and inevitably someone will bring up his rollicking debut.

Now, after Bernier’s two-goal performance Friday in the New Jersey Devils’ 3-1 win against the Sabres, the ... Read the full article

Sabres recall Mikhail Grigorenko, send Tim Schaller and Chad Ruhwedel to Amerks

BUFFALO – The Sabres recalled center Mikhail Grigorenko from Rochester this afternoon and sent center Tim Schaller and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel down.

Grigorenko’s sixth recall this season is another opportunity for the 20-year-old to prove he belongs in the NHL. So far, the Russian, the No. 12 pick in 2012, has compiled only one goal and two points in 13 outings this season.

The Sabres host the New Jersey Devils tonight at the First Niagara ... Read the full article

Ted Nolan on Sabres’ Tyler Ennis: ‘The sky’s the limit’

BUFFALO – On an anemic team about to break its own dubious record for fewest goals scored in modern NHL history, slick Sabres winger Tyler Ennis has 18 goals.

The 25-year-old scored 21 times last season, when the Sabres scored only 150 goals. They have 126 goals through 70 games this season, a pathetic 148-score pace.

Through all the turmoil, through all the losses, Ennis has remained a consistent offensive threat with neophytes feeding him ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Patrick Kaleta nearing return from knee injury

BUFFALO – If Patrick Kaleta keeps progressing, the Sabres winger will likely miss three more games and return from his knee injury next Thursday against Arizona.

“It’s just how it reacts to battle drills and divots and all that sort of stuff,” Kaleta said Thursday after his first full practice. “I have more mobility in my knee now, so it’s building up the strength and getting the movements down. Once you start doing things that ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta could return next week; Zach Bogosian out Friday

BUFFALO – Some quick updates from practice today inside the First Niagara Center:

– Sabres winger Patrick Kaleta (knee, 15 games) went through a full practice for the first time since undergoing surgery last month. Kaleta will likely miss the next three games and return next week.

“It’s just how it reacts to battle drills and divots and all that sort of stuff,” Kaleta said. “I have more mobility in my knee now, so it’s ... Read the full article

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

Sabres think 3-on-3 overtime format would work

BUFFALO – To Sabres center Matt Ellis, the AHL’s experiment with three-on-three overtime this season has created “a really exciting brand” of hockey.

The extra space allows players to freewheel all over the ice and have fun. Systems become an afterthought.

“The speed and the skill really shines through, the amount of open ice,” Ellis, who played 38 games in Rochester this season, said Monday prior to the Sabres’ 4-3 shootout loss to the ... Read the full article