WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Free Agency Edition
Jack Eichel joined his teammates again this morning. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Before Sabres captain Jack Eichel left the NHL All-Star Game in San Jose, he snagged some special memorabilia for his house.
In addition to having his game jersey signed by the entire Eastern Conference squad and a stick autographed by everyone in the game, the high-scoring center received an item he has coveted.
“I grabbed one of (Sidney) Crosby’s sticks,” Eichel said this afternoon inside KeyBank Center. “That was cool. I had been ... Read the full article
Zach Bogosian spent his break in the Cayman Islands. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – During the Sabres’ eight-day break, coach Phil Housley traveled home to Minnesota, where he visited his family and watched his son, Wilson, a rookie junior coach.
In the midst of a grueling 82-game season, getting away from the rink – the bye week went right into the NHL All-Star break – provided the struggling Sabres an opportunity to reset.
So Housley went up to Thief River Falls, about a five-hour drive from his ... Read the full article
Phil Housley watched his son coach over the eight-day break. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – During the Sabres’ eight-day break, coach Phil Housley traveled home to Minnesota, where he visited his family and watched his son, Wilson, a rookie junior coach.
In the midst of a grueling 82-game season, getting away from the rink – the bye week went right into the NHL All-Star break – provided the Sabres “a great time to get a break, to reboot,” Housley said.
So Housley went up to Thief River Falls, ... Read the full article
The Sabres drafted Justin Bailey in 2013. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Williamsville native Justin Bailey’s career in the Sabres organization is over.
The Sabres traded Bailey, a winger with 52 games of NHL experience, to the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Taylor Leier late Thursday.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Leier, 23, has compiled two goals and seven assists in 55 games with the Flyers over the last three seasons.
Leier, however, has mostly played in the AHL over the past five years, scoring 56 goals ... Read the full article
Carter Hutton hasn’t been winning a lot lately. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – On Dec. 13, goalie Carter Hutton made 25 saves in a 3-1 win over Arizona, improving to 13-8-1 in his first season with the Sabres.
At that point, Hutton’s campaign was going splendidly. The loquacious veteran had quickly become the No. 1 netminder the Sabres envisioned when they signed the career backup to a three-year, $8.25 million contract July 1.
But since then, Hutton, 33, has lost seven of his last eight starts ... Read the full article
Tampa Bay goalie Louis Domingue makes a save last season with the Sabres’ Sam Reinhart close by. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Twenty games ago, the upstart Sabres grabbed the top spot in the NHL after winning their 10th straight contest.
At that point, 25 games into the season, the Sabres appeared ahead of schedule. While many observers believed they could possibly contend for a playoff spot, few thought they would be the league’s best team more than a quarter into the campaign.
Fast forward to today, and the Sabres have fallen hard. Yes, they’re ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo has scored seven goals this season. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – Over the last week or two, Sabres winger Kyle Okposo has finally started showcasing signs of his old self, playing a heavier, straight-line game.
“He’s going to the net a lot better,” Sabres coach Phil Housley said prior to Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning inside KeyBank Center. “I think he’s attacking off the wing and he’s shooting a lot more.”
Not surprisingly, Okposo has started scoring a bit. After enduring ... Read the full article
Zemgus Girgensons knows Tampa Bay well. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Forty-four days ago, the first-place Sabres roared into Tampa Bay enjoying a 10-game winning streak. While they lost 5-4 and fell one point behind the Lightning, the end of their raucous run felt like the start of something special.
It seemed like the foes could be battling for the Atlantic Division’s top spot all season.
Well, since that night, the Sabres are 6-9-4. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is a stunning 17-1-1.
Yes, Tampa Bay ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner has scored 29 goals this season. ©2019, Hickling Images
Buffalo Sabres winger Jeff Skinner will be playing for the Atlantic Division in the upcoming NHL All-Star Game.
Skinner, the NHL’s second-leading goal scorer with 29, earned a spot today as part of the “Last Men In” online voting the NHL conducted for the last week.
More than 11.5 million votes were cast, including more than 2 million Thursday, the final day of voting, according to the league.... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner has been celebrating a lot this season. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Jeff Skinner knows returning to Carolina, where he became the face of the Hurricanes over eight seasons, will have special meaning.
Skinner, 26, was a star from the get-go in Raleigh, scoring 31 goals and winning the Calder Trophy as a rookie in 2010-11. He surpassed the 30-goal mark two other times.
During some lean seasons, Skinner, who has already scored 29 goals in 43 games, was usually the Hurricanes’ most ... Read the full article