SB Nation - Mike Weber

Sabres Send Gerbe and Weber to Portland, Roster at 23

David Oleksy — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:38:44 -0000

2 months ago: Buffalo Sabres forward Tim Kennedy (58) watches as his shot goes wide of the goal behind Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Vesa Toskala during the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game in Toronto on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

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The Buffalo Sabres made a couple of roster moves to get the roster to 23 players. There was plenty of speculation of who might go and who would stay. As of now Tim Kennedy and Tyler Myers made the Buffalo Sabres roster. I would guess that Myers will be here for the long haul but he can play nine games before the Sabres have to make a decision. Kennedy will probably only be here until Adam Mair comes back from injury.

While Myers and Kennedy celebrate making the roster, Nathan Gerbe and Mike Weber suffered the disappointment of being the last cuts. Both players figure in the Sabres future plans and should not look at this as a demotion. Instead they should look at it as an opportunity to play.

The Sabres roster is set for Saturday, now it is time to speculate on possible line combinations. Drew Stafford has a mild concussion and might not be able to play, that will have a large effect on who plays and who doesn't. I am leaning towards Stafford not being ready because if he was, Kennedy would probably be in Portland.

Possible lines after the jump

It will be interesting to see what lines Lindy Ruff decides to go with. When Stafford was in the lineup it was easy to predict the lines but his injury makes it more interesting. Kennedy is currently listed as a Center but he was Wing before switching positions last season. He is a candidate to play either position. Here is my crack at predicting the Sabres lines.

Line 1 - Thomas Vanek - Tim Connolly - Jason Pominville

Line 2 - Clarke MacArthur - Tim Kennedy - Derek Roy

Line 3 - Jochen Hecht - Paul Gaustad - Mike Grier

Line 4 - Daniel Paille - Matt Ellis - Patrick Kaleta

I find it interesting that Daniel Paille is on the fourth line. I think he is better than a fourth line player. I do like that this fourth line will bring energy but is not necessarily a fighting line. It is the type of line that can contribute on occasion. Paille is perfect where he is because he is a two-way player and could fill in on any of the top three lines if called upon.

The Defense is also difficult to predict but only because of the injury to Toni Lydman. It doesn't look like Lydman will be ready for Saturday and that makes things a little easier.

Pair 1 - Craig Rivet - Chris Butler

Pair 2 - Steve Montador - Andrej Sekera

Pair 3 - Tyler Myers - Henrik Tallinder

It would be interesting to see Myers and Sekera play together but I'm not sure Lindy is ready to live dangerously yet. Nathan Paestch would be the only healthy scratch in this scenario with Stafford and Lydman out with injuries.

McCormick Sent Down, Stafford and Lydman Injured

David Oleksy — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:10:11 -0000

Since the beginning of camp I have been against the promotion of Nathan Gerbe and Tim Kennedy to Buffalo Sabres to begin the season. With the events that took place today, I think I was wrong. Cody McCormick was sent to Portland and Drew Stafford and Toni Lydman are bot injured. Stafford is suffering from a concussion and has not been ruled out for Saturday. Toni Lydman might have a more serious injury to deal with.

The injury to Stafford and the demotion of McCormick will open the door for Tim Kennedy and Nathan Gerbe to step into the lineup. If the injury to Lydman is serious, there is no doubt that Myers will remain on the roster and that might open the door for Mike Weber. There is still a chance the Sabres might try to move a player to make room for the four youngsters.

The Sabres have 26 players currently in camp and have to get to 23 by Wednesday at 2pm. If the injuries are serious enough, they can put Lydman, Stafford and Mair on the injured list and keep everyone. We will know by tomorrow what will happen and Saturday we get started. Go ahead and share your thoughts in the comments. What players will stay and what players will go.

Forwards	Forwards	Defense	Defense	Goalies
~~Cody McCormick~~	Derek Roy	~~Joe Dipenta~~	Steve Montador	~~Jhonas Enroth~~
~~Felix Schutz~~	Tim Connolly	Toni Lydman	Mike Weber	Ryan Miller
Daniel Paille	Drew Stafford	Henrik Tallinder	~~Marc-Andre Gragnani~~	~~J. P. Lamoureaux~~
Adam Mair	~~Zack Kassian~~	~~Mike Kostka~~	~~TJ Brennan~~	Patrick Lalime
~~Jeff Cowan~~	Jochen Hecht	Chris Butler	Nathan Paetsch
~~Paul Byron~~	Tim Kennedy	Andrej Sekera	Craig Rivet
Mike Grier	~~Tyler Ennis~~	~~Matt Generous~~	Tyler Myers
Thomas Vanek	~~Travis Turnbull~~	~~Nick Crawford~~	~~Dennis Persson~~
Paul Gaustad	~~Maxime Legault~~	~~Brayden McNabb~~	~~Drew Schiestel~~
Jason Pominville	~~Derek Whitmore~~
Patrick Kaleta	~~Luke Adam~~
Matt Ellis	~~Kyle Rank~~
Clarke MacArthur	~~Marcus Foligno~~
Nathan Gerbe	J~~acob Lagace~~
~~Philip Gogulla~~	~~Mark McCutcheon~~
~~Mark Mancari~~

Morning Links: Coyotes Bids May Unacceptable and Is Heatley Really Traded?

Zachary Zielonka — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:51:23 -0000

by Ryan Remiorz - ASSOCIATED PRESS

4 months ago: Ottawa Senators' Dany Heatley celebrates after scoring the first of two goals against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Montreal on Monday, April 6, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

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Two major pieces of news going down late last night in the hockey world. Judge Baum has suggested that both bids may be null and void and that there may not be a bidder for the Coyotes and John Buccigross is reporting that Heatley is part of a three way deal with the Sharks and Kings. All of this and more in the morning links.

Weber says he shouldn't be overlooked : Sabres & NHL : The Buffalo News - Mike Weber easily qualifies as the Buffalo Sabres' forgotten man. He hasn't played since February. He plays arguably the team's most crowded position. He's competing with a prospect who dwarfs him in intrigue, attention and stature. It's understandable if the 21-year-old already gets lumped with yesterday's news.

Q&A: Making sense of Coyotes auction - n order to make some sense of what's going on in the Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy hearing, CBCSports.ca contacted legal experts Richard Powers and Richard McLaren to set the stage for another busy day in court on Friday.

Sources: Dany Heatley traded to San Jose Sharks in three-team deal - ESPN - Dany Heatley is headed to the San Jose Sharks, NHL sources confirmed to ESPN's John Buccigross. Sort of, kind of.

Crosby, Penguins honoured at White House - U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed the Pittsburgh Penguins to the White House on Thursday and celebrated the Stanley Cup champions for their performance on and off the ice.

Pitkanen has knee surgery - Carolina Hurricanes - News & Observer - Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Thursday and likely will be sidelined two to four weeks.

Sale of Habs to Molsons going ahead | Hockey | Sports | Toronto Sun - MONTREAL -- The Molson family yesterday unveiled the future ownership in its $575-million US acquisition of the Montreal Canadiens, a deal that includes BCE and Hamilton Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer.

Training Camp Profiles: The Defensive Prospects

Zachary Zielonka — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:00:28 -0000

Over the next few weeks we will take a look at the 2009-10 Buffalo Sabres and examine what lies ahead for each player during training camp and preseason. Today's look will be part two of a three part series based on the prospects and tryouts that will be attending camp.

via farm3.static.flickr.com

Marc-Andre Gragnani

Gragnani has been apart of the Sabres organization since 2005 where he was drafted 87th in that year's draft. In the past season Gragnani led the Pirates defenseman in points with 51 points and has played with the Pirates/Amerks since 2007. Gragnani has played two games at defense for the Sabres but was kept scoreless. At this point in his career, he has been shoved down the depth chart behind Mike Weber and Tyler Myers. Gragnani becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season and will need to toil on the blueline for a few more years to try and earn another spot on the big club.

via media.hamiltonspectator.topscms.com

Drew Schiestel

Schiestel was drafted 57th by the Sabres in the 2007 Amateur Draft and has played with the Niagara Ice Dogs since being drafted. Schiestel led the Ice Dogs defensemen in scoring with 48 points during the regular season and also led the Ice Dog defensemen with 8 points in the playoffs. Schiestel played his last season of juniors last year and is looking to join the Pirate defense corps. Schiestel looks to be a good defensive player that has definitely grown since being drafted. Moving up with the Pirates should show how far along he has grown.

The rest of the prospects come after the jump.

via www.sabresfans.com

Dennis Persson

Persson has been apart of the Sabres organization since 2006 where he was selected 24th overall that year. Last season, he split his season between Sweden and Portland. He played 46 games for Timra IK where he scored one goal and five assists. He then appeared with the Pirates and played eight games in which he only registered 2 assists. This season should be his first full season in Portland and he will need to play well to move up on the depth chart. According to Hockeysfuture, Persson was brought in as an offensive defenseman in 2006. Based on his stats, he has been anything but offensive and needs to develop that type of his game in Portland.

via www.bchockey.com

Brayden McNabb

McNabb was drafted by the Sabres in the third round of the 2009 draft and has been playing with the Kootenay Ice of the WHL. Last season with the Ice, McNabb was sixth on the team in points with 36 in 67 games, which put him second among defensemen on the team. McNabb has been playing for the Ice the past three seasons and this past season was his best statistically which only proves that his game is improving. McNabb will play next season with the Ice.

via cdn.nhl.com

TJ Brennan

Brennan was selected 31st overall, second round, in the 2007 Draft. He has been playing in the QMJHL originally with the St. Johns Fog Devils and most recently with the Montreal Juniors. Last season with the Juniors, Brennan had 34 points with 5 goals. In the previous two seasons with the Fog Devils he had 16 goals and 25 assists in both seasons. Brennan has the skill to play on the powerplay and can be a dangerous offensive threat that should continue to play in juniors this season.

via www.thehockeynews.com

Joe DiPenta

DiPenta is veteran journeyman that will be part of the veteran presence on the Pirates this season. He was signed to a one-year contract over the summer and has played with the Ducks and Thrashers in his career. Last season he played with Vastra Frolunda HC Goteborg in Sweden. In 47 games, he had points and 71 penalty minutes.

via www.sabresfans.com

Matt Generous

Generous has played the past four seasons with St. Lawerence University and is looking to move up to play with the Pirates this season. In fact, he played four games with the Pirates last season and scored one goal and 13 penalty minutes during that time. He should play with the Pirates this year and it will take a few years for his game to develop.

via 3.bp.blogspot.com

Micheal Kostka

Kostka played his first full season last year with the Pirates in which he played in 80 games. During that time, he scored 4 goals and 30 overall points. Kostka was a team captain in his senior season at the University of Massachusettes at Amherst and led all NCAA defensemen in powerplay scoring. Kostka will continue to develop his game in Portland and may become a force on the blueline in a few seasons.

via www.saginawspirit.com

Nick Crawford

Crawford was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Draft and has been playing for the Saginaw Spirit for his entire junior career. Last season Crawford played 65 games with seven goals and 42 total points and his production has increased over the past three seasons. Next season, Crawford will continue to play for the Spirit and continue to increase his production.

For more on these prospects and all of the Sabres prospects, please check out the premiere site for prospects at Sabresprospects.com

Vancouver and San Jose Make a Deal: Can This Affect Us

Zachary Zielonka — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:08:23 -0000

More photos » by Tony Avelar - AP

3 months ago: In this Nov. 11, 2008 photo, San Jose Sharks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, from Germany, skates with the puck against the Nashville Predators during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif. The Sharks traded Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, Aug. 28, 2009, for two prospects in a move to create space under the salary cap. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

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The Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks made a deal yesterday that sent Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich to the Canucks for Daniel Rahimi and Patrick White. What this basically was is a salary dump for the San Jose Sharks to setup further deals down the line. The Sharks now have cap space to setup a deal for a larger player, mainly Dany Heatley. The Sharks have 17 players under contract with $4 million in cap space. On the flip side, with this deal the Canucks have seven defensemen. On top of this, the Canucks signed Mathieu Schneider which brings them up to eight defensemen. This now gives the Canucks eight defensemen, six of which make $2.75 million or more and puts them $2 million over the cap. The Sharks need players and now have the cap space to work with and should be a major player in the Heatley deal. The main question is where are the extra defensemen going to for the Canucks and will the Sharks still need to make more deals to fill out their roster. Following the jump, we take a look if the Sabres can be a player in any of this.

The Canucks have eight defensemen and are almost $2 million over the cap. At this point they would need to move at least one defenseman but most likely two. The Sabres are stocked with talent at defense and the defenders that we would want to get rid of are within the $2.5-3 million range which would not work for the Canucks. The Canucks have 13 forwards and still could be looking for a good second or third line winger. With their signing of Mikael Samuelsson, they have a good right winger to compliment the Sedin twins but I feel that they will need some more offensive firepower on the wing. While the Canucks most likely would not be interested in Hecht, would they be interested in a trade and sign with Stafford.

The Sharks are factored to be the main player to be getting Dany Heatley as they were rumored earlier in the week to be apart of a three team deal. This extra cap space will give them that chance but depending on how many players they receive in that deal, they are still going to have to fill in their roster. In this case, any deal with the Sharks is most likely going to be a player for picks/prospect deal. They currently have five defensemen on their roster and would be looking for a second or third pairing defender in a deal. Henrik Tallinder would be the perfect player to complement that defense as a stay at home defender, but it would also signal that the organization has faith in one of our prospects on defense, either Weber or Myers.

All in all, after throwing around ideas for trades with these two teams, there really isn't much that the Sabres can do to work a deal that would work for both teams. Neither team is in a position to take dead weight off our hands and we are not in a position to really send players to them. Either team is going to have their eyes on a player like Stafford and I do not feel that the Sabres are ready to give him up yet. I also feel that while Mike Weber may be NHL ready, Tyler Myers will need to prove himself in training camp to show that he is NHL ready. Unfortunately for him, if he cannot do this, he would be forced to play another year in juniors rather than heading to the AHL.

Buffalo Sabres Roster Updated : July 21

David Oleksy — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:05:26 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

9 months ago: Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, center, is congratulated by Sabres defenseman Andrej Sekera, of Slovakia, left, and Sabres right winger Jason Pominville after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 in an NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y. on Friday, March 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Don Heupel)

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With the signing of Clarke MacArthur and Andrej Sekera the Sabres now have 21 players under contract. That number includes Joe Dipenta who is likely headed to Portland and doesn't include Nathan Gerbe, Tim Kennedy, Mike Weber and Tyler Myers that all have an opportunity to make the team this year.

I have positioned the players in the chart based on the my projected line combination's as well. One of the most fun things in sports is trying to predict the future. I think the Sabres have a solid top six as written in the chart.

LW			C			RW
1	Thomas Vanek	6.4		Derek Roy	3.5		Jason Pominville	4.5
2	Clarke MacArthur	1.4		Tim Connolly	4.5		Drew Stafford	RFA
3	Daniel Paille	1.35		Paul Gaustad	2.5		Patrick Kaleta	0.55
4	Jochen Hecht	3.8		Adam Mair	0.775
Res	Matt Ellis	0.5

D				D
1	Craig Rivet	3.5		Chris Butler	0.585
2	Steve Montador	1.55		Andrej Sekera	0.7
3	Toni Lydman	3.15		Henrik Tallinder	3.25
Res	Nathan Paetsch	1.05		Joe Dipenta	0.55

G
1	Ryan Miller	6.25
2	Patrick Lalime	1

	Under Contract	21
	Estimated Hit	52.062		Estimated Salary	51.36
	Estimated Cap	56.8		Projected Budget	50
	Cap Space	4.738		Money Left	-1.36


	* denotes NTC


	Other Notables
D	Tyler Myers	0.85
D	Mike Weber	0.563
F	Nathan Gerbe	0.85
F	Tim Kennedy	0.635
F	Phillip Gogulla	0.685

Myers and Weber Shine at Prospect Camp

David Oleksy — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:00:18 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

8 months ago: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Chris Butler, right, carries his equipment towards the exit after cleaning out his locker in Buffalo, N.Y. on Monday, April 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Don Heupel)

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I was not sure what to expect at my first trip to Buffalo Sabres prospect camp. I came away with a pretty good feeling about a couple of players. Before getting too excited about what I seen let's remember that these players have all been with the Sabres for less than five years and only Chris Butler has seen considerable time in the NHL.

The stars of the day were Tyler Myers and Mike Weber. They played along side one another in the two-on-two drills and they had the boards rattling with their physical play. After the first couple of shifts there were players that were actually playing not to get hit and losing the puck because of it. Myers played a physical style but his best asset was his quick stick and long reach; on a couple of occasions he was able to use his reach to take the puck away.

There were other players that stood out from the rest of the pack as well. Some for their good play and others that weren't so impressive. Follow the jump to see my observations from Tuesday's practice. Keep in mind that there were two rinks and I was only able to watch one at a time, therefore I didn't get to see every player.

Luke Adam - Great skater, stil needs to work on his skills

Chris DeSousa - he was obviously over-matched by the talented players on the ice.

Nathan Gerbe - Seeing him live you get a true appreciation for how tiny he is. Despite his size he always finds open ice and makes things happen offensively.

Phillip Gogulla - Finally get atrue appreciation for his talent. He is a good skater and has pretty good hands as well. He has some pretty good potential in the near future.

Justin Jokinen - He wasn't overly impressive. He made a ton of mistakes and needs to really work on his hands.

Tim Kennedy - Still needs to work on his skills but showed offensive talent.

Maxime Legault - I was blown away by his speed. I had no idea that he was such a good skater.

Corey Tropp - This kid could be a real good player someday.

Travis Turnbull - There is no quit in his game, he works extremely hard on every play.

Mark Adams - Looked good in the 1-on-1 drills but as the drills picked up in intensity his inexperience was obvious.

Chris Butler - He was solid...did you expect anything else?

Corey Fienhage - played aggressive in front of the net, wasn't afraid to take the body. He still needs to work on his positioning.

Mike Kostka - I was impressed with his defensive play.

Tyler Myers - Played physical and showed some offensive talent from the point position.

Mike Weber - The most physical player on the ice the entire day.

Jhonas Entroth - Solid in goal. He showed a quick glove and the ability to smother pucks with very few rebounds.

Overall it was great experience and I look forwar to going back tomorrow. If you were there I would love to hear your thoughts on the prospects.

Sabres Get the Point

David Oleksy — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 03:41:54 -0000

It took 40 minutes of hockey and a two goal deficit to make the Sabres play but they roared back before falling in a shootout. It's never good to leave a point on the table against one of the worst teams in the league but they were lucky to get that.

When you are in a playoff race, every point matters. Ottawa had a 2-0 lead and seemed to be in complete control after two periods. Ottawa fired 30 shots on Miller through 40 minutes and held a 2-0 lead. Nobody in their right mind, thought the Sabres would have a chance to win the game and yet it came down to the eighth shooter in the shootout before the game was decided.

Miller Time Again

We have come to expect Miller to be a story of the game and tonight was no different. Miller made 28 saves through two periods and a total of 40 saves in the game. Much like last night, the Sabres would have earned no points if Miller was not spectacular.

We have seen Miller be good in the past but I'm not sure we have ever seen a stretch like we have recently. Miller has been outstanding since the beginning of 2009 and is as confident as I have ever seen him.

I hate to rain on the Miller parade but I have to mention the negatives as well. As good as Miller was in the game, he was equally as bad in the shootout. In fairness to Miller, the Sens put a couple of nice moves on him but we have seen Miller make better saves before.

Tired Legs

It was pretty clear that this team was extremely tired. They just came back from a long Western Conference road trip and played three games in four nights. For 40 minutes they looked effortless but through the third period and overtime, they looked slow and tired. It looked like they were skating but they weren't really moving anywhere...at least not fast.

To make matters worse...they played most of the game without Thomas Vanek and at least half the game without Mike Weber. Vanek took a puck to the face in the first period and was never able to return and Weber suffered an injury as well. Paetsch had been playing forward but moved back to defense and that left the Sabres with only 10 healthy forwrads. It was basically nine because Kaleta didn't play much in the later stages of the game.

Power Play Converts

Last night I mentioned the Sabres power play struggles and tonight they responded. They were awarded only one power play all night and they made it count. Drew Stafford scored on the power play to tie the score 2-2 for the Sabres.

Harry Neale Quote of the Game

My apologies that I did not hear the exact quote but even paraphrasing...it's still funny. Edited with the help of ccthemovieman

Most players sharpen their skates before the game, Jarkko Ruutu sharpens his teeth.

This was obviously in reference to the incident when Ruutu bit the hand of Sabres tough guy Andrew Peters.

Roll Call

Thanks to everyone that contributed to game thread tonight. We set a new Die by the Blade record with a total of 222 comments. It was J2 leading the way with 88 comments by himself.

Roll Call: dfderie, D.O., ccthemovieman, BenAllen, qdloser, J2
Total Users: 6
Total Posts: 222
Total Threads: 1

Up Next

Buffalo will get a much needed rest. The next time they take the ice will be Wednesday night at the HSBC Arena against the Ottawa Senators. They probably don't need much motivation against Ottawa but with some fresh legs...I expect a much different game.

Sabres Stay Hot at Home

David Oleksy — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 04:13:13 -0000

It wasn't pretty, it wasn't flashy, it wasn't brilliant but it was a win. It took a gutsy effort and more great goaltending for the Sabres to earn the 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. It's tough to say that Buffalo was the better team tonight because that wasn't always the case but they battled hard all night. They took advanatge of their chances and once again they relied on Ryan Miller to make big saves.

This was the Sabres fifth consecutive home win dating all the way back to January 6. Early in the season they struggled at home but they seem to thrive on home ice lately. Buffalo plays three of their next four at home including games against Western Conference power San Jose and a game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

It has been fun watching this team as of late. They haven't won all of their games but they have battled in every single one of them. This team isn't the same team that won the Presidents Trophy but they are finally creating an identity. Consistency has plagued this team in the past so only time will tell if they continue to play at this level.

Living the High Life

Ryan Miller seen his shutout streak end tonight but not before it reached a career best 157 minutes and 13 seconds. After two consecutive shutouts, Miller allowed the Canadiens to score two goals in the victory. That doesn't tell the story as to how good Miller was. He made 35 saves including 15 saves in the first period. Without Miller's spectacular play in the first period, we may be talking about a Sabres loss instead of a 3-2 victory.

Welcome Back Spacek

The Sabres depleted blue line received good news when Jaro Spacek came back in the lineup but nobody could have predicted how good that news was. Spacek not only played tonight but he led all Sabres in ice time with 24 minutes and 45 seconds.

His most important play came early in the second period. Spacek rifled a slap shot by Carey Price just 27 seconds into the period and helped Buffalo to take control of the game. It was only the the third goal of the season for Spacek but it was an important one.

With Spacek back in the lineup it allowed Mike Weber and Chris Butler to be relied upon less and put the youngsters in a more comfortable position. Butler had slumped recently but was solid again tonight.

Secondary Scoring

The Sabres secondary scoring is something I have been very critical of. Tonight they received a goals from unlikely sources. In addition to Spacek lighting the lamp, Nathan Paetsch played the game at forward and was rewarded with a goal of his own.

Peatch played on a line with Matt Ellis and Adam Mair and although they played sparingly, they were probably the Sabres best line. They generated numerous scoring chances and had six of the Sabres 22 shots. Everytime the Sabres needed a spark it seemed these guys were on the ice and creating chances.

Power "less" Play

If there was one negative to the game, it was the Sabres power play. This is an area that the Sabres need to improve on to be a real contender. They were 0-for-4 tonight and have struggled with the man advantage. They scored twice against the Leafs on Wednesday night but they had nine opportunities in that game.

Harry Neale Quote of the Game

I'm sure it wasn't another off night for Harry but unfortuantely i didn't catch any one-liners. Feel free to add your Harry Neale quote in the comments.

Roll Call

Thanks to everyone that contributed to the game thread tonight and hopefully we'll see you again tomorrow night.

Roll Call: ccthemovieman, D.O., dfderie, qdloser, chargerman73se, Joan O.
Total Users: 6
Total Posts: 111
Total Threads: 1

Name	# of Posts
dfderie	50
D.O.	29
Joan O.	15
qdloser	11
ccthemovieman	5
chargerman73se

Up Next

There is no rest for the Sabres. They are right back in action tomorrow night in Ottawa. Face-off is 7:00 PM on Saturday night.

Sabres Injury list keeps growing

David Oleksy — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:08:14 -0000

It looks like the Sabres may need some reinforcements from Portland for the upcoming road trip. The injury list keeps growing by the day and with some key players on the list as well.

Injuries: Buffalo Sabres

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Derek Roy	back spasms	12.3.2008

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Toni Lydman	lower body	12.3.2008
Andrew Peters	abdominal strain	12.3.2008
Craig Rivet	upper body	12.2.2008

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Patrick Kaleta	head/neck	12.3.2008
Tim Connolly	broken rib	11.15.2008

It looks like Derek Roy and Andrew Peters will both be able to play, although I won't be surprised if Petey is in the press box while Max gets a chance to be back on the ice. The Forward situation looks fine despite both Tim Connolly and Patrick Kaleta being listed as out.

The defensive situation is not as rosy. Toni Lydman and Craig Rivet are both highly questionable and you have to expect that someone will be called up. The likely candidate is Mike Weber but he too is suffering from an injury currently. That leaves the Sabres with a decision to make...does Chris Butler make his NHL debut or does Mike Funk get the call. Funk has played some games is Buffalo over the past three seasons and has been average to below average.