Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

Sabres goalie Robin Lehner will miss weekend games

BUFFALO – Robin Lehner could play again this season. The Sabres will allow their starting goalie to rest and rehab the ankle injury he just aggravated twice in a week, coach Dan Bylsma said.

Lehner suffered a high right ankle sprain opening night and has been dealing with it since returning in January.

Right now, shutting the Swede down isn’t in the team’s thought process, Bylsma said.

“(A) high ankle sprain is just one you ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zach Bogosian playing aggressively again

BUFFALO – The burst might be the surest sign Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian has recaptured his confident, slick style following months of mostly conservative play.

In recent weeks, inevitably a few times a game, Bogosian will grab the puck, and, like few players can, start zooming around the ice.

Bogosian, 25, has been playing his best and most aggressive hockey this season, logging big minutes and piling up points.

“I’ve been feeling confident the last ... Read the full article

Ankle hurting Sabres goalie Robin Lehner

BUFFALO – When Sabres goalie Robin Lehner returned from a high ankle sprain in January, he knew the injury that shelved him more than three months would linger the rest of the season.

That right ankle, Lehner has recently learned, is still very tender.

The Swede has jammed it into the post twice in the last week, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said, including in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Montreal.

Lehner missed today’s practice inside ... Read the full article

Sabres lose cool in overtime loss to Canadiens

BUFFALO – Thirty minutes before the Sabres’ feisty 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, goalies Robin Lehner and Ben Scrivens chatted amicably at center ice during pregame warm-ups.

But by about 9 p.m., as chaos enveloped his crease at the end of a penalty-filled second period, the fiery Sabres goalie wanted to see Scrivens, someone he called “a good guy off the ice,” again.

Seconds after Montreal’s Michael McCarron punched Lehner after ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Robin Lehner likes idea of smaller goalie equipment

BUFFALO – At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Robin Lehner’s the NHL’s biggest goalie.

Sure, a few are taller than the Sabres’ new starter. Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop, for example, is 6-foot-7 but weighs 31 fewer pounds than his former AHL teammate.

Lehner, of course, looks huge in his net. But so do a lot of other goalies much smaller than the Swede.

“There’s guys out there that weigh 160 pounds (who are) not that tall ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly might have ice time limited in return

BUFFALO – Since a broken right foot has sidelined Ryan O’Reilly the last 11 games, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma wants to ease his No. 1 center and most versatile asset back into the lineup tonight after a 26-day absence.

So O’Reilly, who plays more than any NHL forward at 21 minutes, 51 seconds a game, might see a little less action against the Montreal Canadiens inside the First Niagara Center.

“I think you do ease ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Marcus Foligno enjoying career-best stretch

BUFFALO – Four years ago this month, the Sabres summoned a rookie with a famous hockey name and one game of NHL experience for the stretch drive of their playoff push.

Ultimately, they felt short, but winger Marcus Foligno’s supreme exploits – six goals and 13 points – nearly helped them roar into the postseason.

For years, as he struggled to find consistency and score, Foligno’s play, fairly or not, has been measured against that ... Read the full article

Goalie Jason Kasdorf could play for Sabres this season

BUFFALO – The plan is for goalie Jason Kasdorf to spend a couple of days rehabbing his groin injury before the rookie starts practicing with the Sabres.

The Sabres, of course, have two healthy netminders in starter Robin Lehner and backup Chad Johnson. But with 12 games left, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said there’s a “possibility” Kasdorf could play in the NHL this season.

Kasdorf, 23, signed a one-year, entry-level contract Monday, two days after ... Read the full article

Ryan O’Reilly’s return means Sabres will switch up lines

BUFFALO – The sample size, of course, is pretty small – barely eight games over the last two weeks. Still, the line comprised of slick rookies Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart and young veteran Evander Kane has given the Sabres a legitimate No. 1 NHL scoring combination for the first time in years.

Think back a bit. When was the last time the Sabres had a top trio on par with some of the league’s ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly close to returning

BUFFALO – On Saturday morning, after skating 90 minutes before the Sabres’ afternoon game, center Ryan O’Reilly told coach Dan Bylsma he was ready to return from a right foot injury.

Keep in mind that O’Reilly hadn’t even participated in a full practice with his teammates yet. That was only his second time on the ice since getting hurt Feb. 19.

“He came off the ice and decided, ‘Oh, I can play today. I’m ... Read the full article