Toronto Maple Leafs - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly productive during goal slump

BUFFALO – For almost three months, Ryan O’Reilly compiled the Sabres’ oddest stat line.

On Jan. 8 in Chicago, O’Reilly scored his 17^th goal. At that point, halfway through the season, the NHL All-Star was on pace for a career-high 34 goals.

Then, O’Reilly suddenly went dry, enduring a marathon drought before finally scoring short-handed early in Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout loss in Pittsburgh.

In that odd 24-game run, which was interrupted when a broken ... Read the full article

Sabres give poor effort in loss to Leafs

TORONTO – If you passed on viewing a meaningless late-season tilt between the Buffalo Sabres and Maple Leafs and opted to watch some college basketball or, well, do anything else Saturday night, you probably made a wise decision.

In a downright wretched effort, the Sabres meekly fell 4-1 to the NHL’s worst team, imploding late inside the Air Canada Centre after starting the third period tied at 1.

“It was pretty embarrassing,” Sabres winger Marcus ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Nick Deslauriers savors each goal

TORONTO – As a third- or fourth-liner known more for his fists than his soft hands, gritty Buffalo Sabres winger Nick Deslauriers has endured some long goal droughts.

While the likable Deslauriers scored his career-high sixth goal in Friday’s 3-1 home win against the Ottawa Senators, he has only 12 in his 160-game career. After scoring three times in the first 11 games this season, the former defenseman went 41 appearances before finally scoring again ... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Jack Eichel out with flu

TORONTO – The flu will force Buffalo Sabres rookie Jack Eichel to miss his first NHL game tonight, coach Dan Bylsma said.

To replace the center against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, the Sabres have recalled rookie winger Dan Catenacci from the Rochester Americans. Cal O’Reilly will move to center, Bylsma said.

Eichel, 19, finished Friday’s 3-1 home win against the Ottawa Senators, recording as assist, his 49^th point.

“It didn’t come on until ... Read the full article

Top talent rallies Sabres past Leafs

TORONTO – Call it whatever you want – a tank, a deep rebuild – the Maple Leafs gutted their roster recently, leaving coach Mike Babcock a team filled with unknown neophytes to mold into NHL talent.

The Buffalo Sabres, meanwhile, have already endured what the Leafs are just beginning: a total overhaul. The Sabres are, theoretically, two years ahead of Toronto.

At this stage, they should exploit a reeling club dressing six rookies. The Sabres ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Evander Kane possesses shoot-first mentality

TORONTO – By now, 56 games into Evander Kane’s Buffalo Sabres tenure, most observers know what will happen when the former 30-goal scorer zooms down the wing.

Instead of cutting to the net and skating to the so-called “dirty area,” Kane often just shoots the puck.

Modern NHL goalies – so large, well-trained and armored – usually swallow it up easily.

Kane began Monday’s 4-3 shootout win over the Maple Leafs with the ninth-most shots ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Dan Catenacci has chance to stick, excited for Toronto debut

TORONTO – Dan Catenacci’s welcome-to-the NHL-moment came Feb. 9, when during his second game, the Buffalo Sabres rookie spotted Florida Panthers star Jaromir Jagr, a 44-year-old legend.

“I was kind of in awe,” Catenacci, a native of nearby Newmarket, said this afternoon inside the Air Canada Centre.

Before Catenacci’s father, Maurice, ended his European career in the 1990s, he also played against Jagr.

“It’s pretty cool for me and my dad to both play ... Read the full article

Rough season taking its toll on Sabres coach Dan Bylsma

TORONTO – This is all a new experience for Buffalo Sabres coach Dan Bylsma, you know – the losing, the expectation the Stanley Cup will be won in the near future, not immediately.

Bylsma stormed into the NHL seven years ago, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to a championship just months later. While Bylsma endured a string of playoff failures in the ensuing five seasons, he kept winning, reaching 200 victories faster than any coach ... Read the full article

Evander Kane helps push Sabres past Leafs

BUFFALO – Technically, way back on opening night, Sabres winger Evander Kane experienced the joy of scoring a goal. Of course, it was short-lived.

An offside call negated it, and Kane, who boldly stated last month he wanted to score 40 or 50 times with his new team this season, spent the next five games struggling to get his first.

Kane finally scored that elusive goal late in the Sabres’ 2-1 shootout win against the ... Read the full article

Former Sabre Brad Boyes happy with Leafs after tough summer

BUFFALO – At times throughout his uncertain summer, former Sabres forward Brad Boyes said he wondered, “Why is this happening?”

For the second time in three years, Boyes, a former 43-goal scorer, couldn’t find work.

In 2013, after a strong season with the New York Islanders, Boyes, 33, had to earn a spot in Florida on a tryout. He parlayed that into a two-year extension and figured after scoring 35 goals over two seasons, he ... Read the full article