Ullmark - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres goalie Chad Johnson shines in shutout win over Ducks

BUFFALO – Chad Johnson will garner the headlines from the Sabres’ 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks, and he should. The goalie dazzled Thursday, stopping a career-high 44 shots, a franchise-record for a shutout.

But the Sabres received contributions throughout the lineup in their third win in four games and 14th overall this season.

The fourth line, so bad last game, was the Sabres’ best trio for chunks of the night, creating defenseman’s Jake McCabe’s ... Read the full article

Sabres generate little, get blanked by Devils

BUFFALO – New Devils regime. Same boring style.

Some things never change.

Even with Lou Lamoriello, the architect of those highly successful but oh-so-dull New Jersey teams, now 480 miles away from Newark running the Toronto Maple Leafs, his legacy lives on.

The Devils haven’t changed much under new general manager Ray Shero and coach John Hynes. They still suck the life out of the game, patiently wait for opportunities and then sit on the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Johan Larsson relieved; Goalie Robin Lehner hasn’t suffered setback

BUFFALO – When Johan Larsson scored his first goal this season Monday, the winner with 3:13 left in the Sabres’ 2-1 comeback win in Detroit, coach Dan Bylsma couldn’t quite read the center’s body language.

“Whether he was happy, relieved, matter of fact,” Bylsma said this morning after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. “I know he’s been pressing for a while now not having scored. To get that one ... Read the full article

Ryan O’Reilly’s overtime winner clinches Sabres’ win over Kings

BUFFALO – Usually, Ryan O’Reilly said, if he gets an open look in the slot, he likes to shoot low blocker side on the goalie. But given the Sabres center was falling in front of sliding defender Alec Martinez, he just had to take the best shot he could in overtime.

“I just tried to get it off in that area,” O’Reilly said Saturday after his 100^th NHL goal – a nifty score at ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark believes struggles are mental

BUFFALO – Right now, Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark’s struggles are “mostly mental things,” the Swede said this morning. In his last six starts, the rookie is 0-4-2 and has allowed 18 goals. In his last three starts, his save percentage is .859.

Remember, Ullmark, who will start tonight against the Los Angeles Kings, dazzled early on, winning four of his first six starts.

“We know that my game works,” Ullmark said inside the First ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane questionable for Hurricanes

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian and winger Evander Kane will be game-time decisions tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes inside the First Niagara Center, coach Dan Bylsma said this morning.

Bogosian is only five games into his season after missing two months with a lower-body injury. Kane, meanwhile, was questionable for Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to Nashville with a lower-body injury before scoring a goal.

Update: Kane is wearing a walking boot on his left foot.... Read the full article

Sabres start fast against Predators, lose sixth straight

BUFFALO – On Wednesday, against a reeling team that hadn’t scored a goal in more than three games, the Sabres pounced on the Nashville Predators early.

The Sabres held an 11-4 shot advantage after one period and widened it to 25-11 after two inside the First Niagara Center.

Still, it didn’t matter.

The Sabres trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes and 3-1 after 40 in their 3-2 loss to the Predators. After winning three consecutive ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly unhappy after loss to Blues: ‘We’re too OK with losing’

BUFFALO – Before he even says a word, Ryan O’Reilly’s face usually expresses his emotions. The Sabres center looks beaten down after losses, the missed opportunities and mistakes clearly still playing in his head.

So following the Sabres’ fifth straight defeat Monday, a 2-1 setback to the St. Louis Blues in which they blew a third-period lead, O’Reilly called out his teammates.

“We got to hate to lose more,” O’Reilly said. “I think we’re too ... Read the full article

Former Sabres captain Steve Ott playing like old self

BUFFALO – A season ago, months removed from hernia surgery, former Sabres captain Steve Ott played his usual high-octane style, but the gritty St. Louis Blues veteran chased the game.

The energy Ott showcased “was more hunting energy,” St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said Monday prior the Blues’ 2-1 win against the Sabres inside the First Niagara Center.

“He went out of his way for hits,” Hitchcock said. “He went out of his way to ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tyler Ennis needs to simplify

BUFFALO – It’s a fine line. As a shifty, speedy player who often creates highlight-reel goals few NHLers can pull off, Sabres winger Tyler Ennis’ instincts often tell him to go for the glitzy play.

But mired in one of the worst slumps of his 363-game career, Ennis, who hasn’t scored in nine games, knows he needs to go for the safer play.

“It’s tough because I know I can make the plays,” Ennis said ... Read the full article