Weber - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Enroth grounds Lightning in second consecutive start

BUFFALO – This two-day stretch hardly mirrored the last time Sabres backup goalie Jhonas Enroth earned consecutive starts for a healthy Ryan Miller.

Back in November 2011, Enroth sported an eight-game winning streak as Miller was beginning a wretched three-month slump. The Swede’s second nod ignited a goaltending controversy.

These days, Miller’s entrenched as the No. 1 goalie. Enroth, meanwhile, recently regained the dynamic form he showcased early during his rookie season.

If the ... Read the full article

Kevin Porter establishing himself as one of Sabres’ top forwards

BUFFALO – Ten years ago, Ron Rolston wanted Kevin Porter to come play at Boston College. The interim Sabres coach, then an NCAA assistant, recruited the teenage hockey star, even talked to his father a little bit.

Ultimately, Porter stayed in his home state, becoming a collegiate legend at Michigan. Rolston, meanwhile, took over Team USA’s development program shortly after Porter left.

Their paths crossed again in July.

Porter’s career had hit a rut after ... Read the full article

Enroth and some luck push Sabres past Flyers

BUFFALO – Sure, the Sabres needed some good fortune to down the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. Christian Ehrhoff’s pass off the end boards created the game’s only goal. Daniel Briere hit the crossbar behind Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth with just a single tick left in the game.

Still, they deserved their 17^th win this season and first in three games. The Sabres, so vile during Thursday’s 5-1 home loss to Montreal, ... Read the full article

NHL debut caps whirlwind 24 hours for Sabres rookie Chad Ruhwedel

BUFFALO – On Friday night, a day after UMass Lowell lost to Yale in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal, Chad Ruhwedel checked his phone on the tarmac when the River Hawks’ flight from Pittsburgh landed in Boston.

“It says, ‘Call me immediately’ from my advisor, my mom, too,” the 22-year-old first team All-American defenseman said Saturday after making his NHL debut in the Sabres’ 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The undrafted Ruhwedel knew his ... Read the full article

Sabres down to five defensemen after Tyler Myers’ season-ending leg injury

BUFFALO – With 2:17 left in the second period of Thursday’s dismal 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers absorbed P.K. Subban’s wicked one-timer from the point with his leg.

After blocking the lethal shot, Myers hobbled off seconds later when the Canadiens converted their five-on-three power play.

The 23-year-old finished the game, though, skating 25:37, his third-highest total this season, while blocking a game-high four shots.

Following the contest, Myers found ... Read the full article

Tyler Myers’ season-ending leg injury leaves Sabres’ defense depleted

BUFFALO – With 2:17 left in the second period of Thursday’s dismal 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers laid out on the ice, blocking P.K. Subban’s wicked one-timer from the point.

Myers got up and hobbled off seconds later after the Canadiens scored on the five-on-three power play.

The 23-year-old finished the game, though, skating 25:37, his third-highest total this season, while blocking a game-high four shots.

Following the game, Myers ... Read the full article

Sabres’ new defense corps helping keep slim playoff hopes alive

BUFFALO – There are some perks to hotel life, Adam Pardy said. Each day, a maid makes his bed and cleans his room. That’s not a bad thing, right?

For three months, the defenseman has been living out of a suitcase while shuttling between the Sabres and the Rochester Americans, an experience Pardy chalks up to being “one of those years.”

“It (stinks), but it is what it is,” Pardy said about hotel living Saturday ... Read the full article

Sabres say playoffs still within sight after rallying to down Senators

BUFFALO – On Friday morning, hours before their 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators, new assistant captain Steve Ott promised the Sabres would keep fighting for that unlikely playoff berth until the bitter end.

Two days after management jettisoned captain Jason Pominville at the trade deadline with the message the Sabres’ plans have shifted to the future, players emphatically say they’re still focused on the present.

They want to win now.

Ten games ... Read the full article

Ott’s fearless, team-first approach earning respect from Sabres

BUFFALO – Not surprisingly, Steve Ott jelled with his new Sabres teammates immediately after nine seasons with the Dallas Stars. Having Mike Weber, a friend so close he calls him a brother, helped the transition. And Ott’s infectious personality would probably make the 30-year-old fit in quickly anywhere.

Still, back in January, Ott felt a bit like an outsider. In his mind, he had to earn his Sabres jersey following the offseason trade. The ... 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