WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Free Agency Edition
Nikita Zadorov earned regular duty earlier this season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres will make one lineup change tonight against the Dallas Stars, inserting 19-year-old defenseman Nikita Zadorov for Andre Benoit.
Zadorov has struggled in recent weeks, becoming a healthy scratch after earning regular duty throughout November and December.
What does Sabres coach Ted Nolan want to see from the Russian?
“With a young defenseman, you just want to make sure you grab those young mistakes real quick, want to make sure they don’t ... Read the full article
Chris Stewart could be traded soon. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Ted Nolan wanted to rattle Chris Stewart’s chain a bit, get the enigmatic veteran thinking. The Sabres coach saw a big, powerful winger playing a soft game.
So Nolan challenged Stewart during a meeting shortly after the 27-year-old’s Dec. 9 benching.
Their chat got heated.
“He got mad, he got angry,” Nolan told the Times Herald on Friday inside HarborCenter. “I got a little bit angry myself. Sometimes people think I’m a ... Read the full article
Tyler Myers (57) missed today’s practice. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Relax, Sabres fans. Defenseman Tyler Myers, whose name is making the rounds in trade rumors with the March 2 deadline approaching, missed today’s practice inside HarborCenter for a maintenance day, coach Ted Nolan said. Ditto for Josh Gorges, Myers’ partner.
“They’ve been playing a lot of hockey lately,” Nolan said.
Both will play Saturday, Nolan said.
The Sabres could change goalies against Dallas. Michal Neuvirth, out last week after injuring his ankle during ... Read the full article
St. Louis goalie Jake Allen stones Brian Flynn on a third-period breakaway. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Thursday’s 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues was the Sabres’ 34th defeat this season and their 15th setback in the last 16 games. But against an NHL powerhouse, the league’s worst team held its own, carrying the play for stretches and generating some prime scoring chances.
If the Sabres converted a couple of opportunities – they had two clear-cut breakaways – then they might have upset the NHL’s hottest team. Instead, ... Read the full article
Steve Ott played two seasons in Buffalo. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – They’re still all over town. Go to a Sabres game, walk around the mall or do some grocery shopping, and you’ll inevitably see someone wearing a No. 9 Steve Ott Sabres jersey.
“Must’ve been on sale when I got traded or something,” Ott joked Thursday prior to the St. Louis Blues’ 3-0 win, his first game in Buffalo since the Sabres dealt him Feb. 28. “I don’t know. Maybe they were just giving ... Read the full article
Steve Ott hasn’t played a game in Buffalo yet with St. Louis. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Look out, Patrick Kaleta. Former Sabres captain Steve Ott said he wants a little revenge for the time you guys fought almost five years ago.
“He doesn’t really know, but I still owe him one for raising the roof when we got in a fight here,” Ott joked today after his St. Louis Blues prepared for tonight’s game. “I’ll be playing him a little harder than the others. But Patty’s one of my ... Read the full article
Marcus Foligno (82) will miss his 18th straight game tonight. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Before Marcus Foligno broke his hand fighting Boston’s Matt Bartkowski on Dec. 21, the Sabres center was enjoying perhaps the best run of his young career.
Foligno had just been moved to the middle by Sabres coach Ted Nolan. He had a three-game goal streak during the team’s torrid run earlier in December.
Still, Foligno, who could return this weekend, doesn’t want a do-over. Bartkowski hit Sabres captain Brian Gionta high after ... Read the full article
Chris Stewart has been the Sabres’ best forward recently. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Ted Nolan’s response raised some eyebrows. Coaches, after all, rarely acknowledge they have players who are ready to leave town.
But Tuesday in Montreal, hours before the Sabres’ 3-2 win ended their 14-game losing streak, Nolan, whose rebuilding club will likely be selling off assets soon, went a step further.
“We got some guys who could be very beneficial to some playoff teams,” Nolan replied when asked if coaching could be tougher because ... Read the full article
Doug Wilson, now San Jose’s general manager, captained the Sharks in 1992-93, his final NHL season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
Drew Remenda laughs about the experience now. The loquacious television analyst illustrates the haplessness of the 1992-93 San Jose Sharks, co-owners of the longest losing streak in NHL history, with long, colorful stories. He even sounds nostalgic recalling the epic 17-game skid.
But 22 years ago, Remenda, then a 30-year-old assistant coach in charge of video for the second-year franchise, was suffering through a hellish season in which the Sharks became so bad they tied ... Read the full article
Matt Hackett played one game during his recall. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres sent goalie Matt Hackett back to the Rochester Americans today, meaning Michal Neuvirth has likely healed from the lower-body injury he sustained working out during the NHL All-Star break late last month.
Hackett played one game, Friday’s 5-2 loss in Vancouver, making 33 saves. He recently returned to game action in the AHL after tearing up his right knee late last season.... Read the full article