Sabres Team Report
(Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:13:10 PST)

The Sabres have one more shot to please the home folks. Then it's almost all road, all the time.

The Sabres play just three home games in January. The first came in Tuesday's 4-2 win over Ottawa. The second is Friday when they play host to the New York Rangers. Then they play nine of their next 10 on the road.

It gives them only a few chances to improve a subpar season in HSBC Arena. The Sabres have won just half their games at home (11-9-2), and it's been a bone of contention for the team all season.

It's especially troublesome when they struggle at home (like a recent 1-1-1 stretch, in which even the shootout win featured blowing a two-goal lead in the final 94 seconds) then go and impress on the road.

Connolly eager to return after latest injury
(Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:19:44 PST)
Two severe concussions, one hip surgery and numerous broken bones later, Buffalo Sabres center Tim Connolly is looking forward to his latest comeback. "Yeah, I'm excited to get back," Connolly said. "I'm feeling good." That's a start. Connolly is ready to return Friday when the Sabres host the New York Rangers.

Reigning MVP Ovechkin tops East All-Star roster
(Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:59:25 PST)
Alex Ovechkin finally got his All-Star invitation. Less than a week after Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau called Ovechkin's omission from the Eastern Conference's starting lineup "dumb," the reigning NHL MVP was among 15 players picked Thursday to fill out the roster for the All-Star game on Jan.

Puck Headlines: Jordan Staal signs, and East all-star snubs
(Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:18:44 PST)
Here are your Morning Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest...

Puck Headlines: Some bald dude ready to play for Vancouver
(Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:19:32 PST)
Here are your Evening Puck Headlines and Previews: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the...

Jarkko Ruutu gets two games for putting A. Peters in his mouth
(Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:48:47 PST)
The NHL has given two games to Jarkko Ruutu for acquiring a taste for Buffalo last night .

Senators LW Ruutu suspended two games
(Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:47:03 PST)
Ottawa Senators left wing Jarkko Ruutu will have to sink his teeth into a two-game suspension.

Puck Headlines: Phaneuf, Nabokov among West all-star snubs
(Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:24:58 PST)
Here are your Morning Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest...

Video: Jarkko Ruutu bites Sabres' Peters, doesn't get penalized
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:02:26 PST)
Less than a day after Sweden's Joakim Andersson was accused of biting a Canadian player, Ottawa Senators pest...

Sabres D Rivet returns
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:47:02 PST)
Captain Craig Rivet returned to the lineup for the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday after missing 11 games with a shoulder injury.

Puck Headlines: Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals ready to go 'Patrick Division' on each other
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:44:46 PST)
Here are your Evening Puck Headlines and Previews: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the...

Puck Headlines: Even the Canucks can't tell Sedins apart
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:36:31 PST)
Here are your Morning Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest...

Rivet returns to Sabres Tuesday night
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:45:49 PST)
Craig Rivet just wasn't strong enough to play in front of the net. Toughness is one of the biggest assets of the...

Sabres D Rivet ready to return; RW Afinogenov hurt
(Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:04:01 PST)
The Buffalo Sabres received both good and bad news on Monday.

Puck Headlines: Ilya Kovalchuk, king of Russian athletes
(Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:23:55 PST)
Here are your Evening Puck Headlines and Previews: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the...

Sabres D Rivet ready to return; Afinogenov hurt
(Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:03:05 PST)
Sabres captain Craig Rivet is ready to return after missing nearly a month with a shoulder injury, but forward Maxim Afinogenov is out indefinitely after hurting his groin last weekend. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said after practice Monday that he expects Rivet back in the lineup on Tuesday, when Buffalo hosts Ottawa.

NHL Power Poll: Teams set sights on playoffs
(Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:07:01 PST)
Toronto coach Ron Wilson noticed it while playing Ottawa this week. The intensity is rising for teams getting...

Leafs, Jackets considering deal for Antropov, Kubina?
(Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:27:36 PST)
Could some members of the Toronto Maple Leafs be fitted for a new jacket of the blue variety?

Saturday's three stars: Ellis steps up big for Buffalo
(Sat, 03 Jan 2009 22:41:18 PST)
No. 1 star, Matt Ellis, Buffalo Sabres : Matt Ellis has played less than 100 career games, but none will...

4 Canadiens elected for NHL East stars in Montreal
(Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:23:18 PST)
Only Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin prevented the Montreal Canadiens from an All-Star sweep. The NHL announced the starting lineups Saturday for the midseason classic, and the host Canadiens filled four of the six slots for the Eastern Conference. Crosby and Malkin, teammates and linemates with the defending East champion Pittsburgh Penguins, both broke the record for the most votes and claimed...

Sabres send C Gerbe to AHL
(Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:25:01 PST)
The Buffalo Sabres on Friday assigned center Nathan Gerbe to Portland of the American Hockey League.

Sabres return C Gerbe to Portland
(Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:47:19 PST)
The Buffalo Sabres returned center Nathan Gerbe to the Portland Pirates of the AHL on Friday. Gerbe had one assist in six games for Buffalo after being recalled from Portland on Dec. 6, making his NHL debut later that night in Tampa Bay. He had missed the last six games after injuring his upper body at New Jersey on Dec.

Sabres beat Maple Leafs 4-1
(Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:15:06 PST)
Jason Pominville and Derek Roy got the message. Two days after being called out by coach Lindy Ruff, the linemates scored two goals apiece in the Buffalo Sabres' 4-1 victory over Toronto on Thursday night. Ruff was upset after Buffalo lost to visiting Washington on Tuesday, saying after that game that "if Jochen Hecht and Derek Roy and those kinds of guys aren't our best players, (we) don't have...

Wrigley Winter Classic notes: Lose an Emrick, gain some ivy
(Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:04:02 PST)
Leading up to the 2009 Winter Classic, the NHL has been very good about playing up the distinctive aspects of...

Ten preposterous ways to improve the Winter Classic
(Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:55:38 PST)
(Ed. Note: The following column will run in the Winter Classic edition of the "Committed Indian," the...

Tuesday's three stars: Savard, Conklin come up big in showdowns
(Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:26:49 PST)
No. 1 star: Marc Savard, Boston Bruins Savard was a difference-maker in the Bruins' 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh...