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“He’s had a lot of good conditioning,” commented head coach Lindy Ruff. “We’re hoping he can lead our D in ice time. That is really my goal. I said we weren’t going to hold back. We have to evaluate it as it goes but the goal is to get him right back into the groove. “
Prior to the injury, Myers had played in 19 games and totaled six points (2+4) and was a plus- -4 and wants to contribute right away for the blue and gold. “It’s always frustrating when you’re not doing as well as you want to, but I’m not going to stand here and say that they need me to win. I’m just happy to be back and help the team as much as I can but they were doing just fine – we just know that we have to be better.”
Forward Ville Leino skated with the team during this morning skate as he continues to rehab a lower body injury. Cody McCormick and defenseman TJ Brennan also skated extra following the workout leaning towards them being scratched for tonight’s contest.
“The opportunities are there and I thought he’s stayed with it. There wasn’t any of that stomp and hang your head, he just kept working and if you keep working than good things will happen."
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| Gerbe |
Click here for the Lindy Ruff podcast“He’s not doing well so we left him at home so he won’t play. He received a lot of stitches and doesn’t feel too well and didn’t get any sleep last night. Not sure how many stitches he received but it was enough.”
With Gerbe set to miss time, Buffalo has recalled Rochester Americans forward Corey Tropp. The recall will be Tropp’s third of the season and he has two points (1+1) in 10 games with the big club.
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| Miller |
“On 95 percent of the occasions your goaltender has to be a difference maker. For a long time Jhonas (Enroth) was, but he’s struggled a bit. We need Ryan to step in and play well and obviously this is a great opportunity for him.”
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| Mueller |
Click here for the Chris Mueller podcast.“It’s always exciting when you’re recalled, whether it’s your first game or your one hundredth. When I found out it was against the Sabres it was like my first game all over again.”
Game time is 8 p.m. and can be seen on MSG. Make sure to tune in at 7:30 p.m. for Tops Game Night.
| MORNING SKATE PODCASTSM |
| Lindy Ruff Interview |
| Paul Gaustad Interview |
| Luke Adam Interview |
Forwards Paul Gaustad and Drew Stafford did skate this morning for Buffalo and head coach Lindy Ruff did say that yesterday’s absence was simply a maintenance day for the two. Jochen Hecht participated heavily but still remains day-to-day.
Look for the lines to remain the same tonight and Miller to start in goal. Ruff stated that while he initially wanted backup netminder Jhonas Enroth to start this game, Miller would get the nod. Miller has given up just one goal in the past two games including his 23rd career shutout Thursday night against the Panthers.
I’ve been with the Sabres for three seasons now, and I can’t count the number of times people make the comment “that is so cool” or “you’re so lucky.” They’re right. Working for an NHL franchise is a unique opportunity that only a few may get the chance to have. What has made this experience better is the fact that I am from the area (Crystal Beach, Ont.) and grew up a Sabres fan.
Since the change in ownership, an emphasis has been placed on new media and making this website a place for all Sabres information. For that to happen, the road games needed a voice and I raised my hand for the opportunity. However I am constantly asked what I saw, what I did and where did I go when I was on the road -- sometimes more than I am asked about the team. Rather than crank out another typical practice blog, I thought I would give you an insight into what life on the road with the team is. I’ll use last Saturday's game in Pittsburgh as an example.
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| Press Box @ the Consol Energy Center |
Following the home opener against Carolina on Friday, I drove directly from First Niagara Center to the airport and hopped the team charter to Pittsburgh. Our short flight landed roughly a little after Midnight. From there it was a bus ride to a downtown Pittsburgh hotel, where I got online and posted the information from Friday night's game. Since I had been awake since 7 a.m. prepping for the home opener, I passed out pretty quickly. The next morning I woke up again around 7 a.m. and prepped Sabres.com for that night's game, making sure all the necessary information was online and ready for the fans. Then it was on to a bus and over to the Consol Energy Center for an 11:30 a.m. morning skate, where a couple of quick interviews later, I was back on the bus, back to the hotel and back in my room editing audio files, writing a blog and uploading video files to Sabres TV. By this point it’s around 3 p.m. and I was starved.
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| Genoa Salami w/Peppers & Onions |
After a quick lunch at Primanti Bros. (if there is such a thing) and a walk back to the hotel, I was back on the bus and heading to the arena to prep for the game itself. I found my press box seat and double-checked that all information for that game was online. It’s around 6 p.m. at this point so I grabbed a coffee and settled in for the game.
(Check out the AFTERMATH of that game for my take on that.)
As the game is ending, I start to run across the press box and down to the locker room for more audio clips and interviews. From there it’s back on the bus, over to the airport and a 45-minute flight back to Buffalo. Around 1:30 a.m., I stroll through my door, inevitably waking my dog up who decides he wants to play. I grab a frosty beverage from my fridge and hop back online to post the plethora of information that I have compiled, finishing up around 2:15 a.m., and promptly asleep.
I had a pleasant Sunday (up until the Bills lost) relaxing with my dog, and getting everything packed up since I was flying out the next day at 3 p.m. for the three-game road trip that started in Montreal.
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| My Basset Hound Mush |
Throughout the course of the game day, I had about two hours to myself where hockey wasn’t consuming my thoughts. I’m not complaining that this is a hard life, but it is far from easy. For all those asking their questions of what did you see and what did you do, the answer is usually: a hotel room, a rink, a locker room and the inside of a plane. Workdays of 15-18 hours are pretty much a given 82 times a year (but the preseason is a lot easier). A strict diet of black coffee and sarcasm holds you in check, while battles with local media, PR representatives, and wireless internet snafus are bound to happen throughout my day.
Could I trade this all in for a cushy 9-5 job, running websites and systems for different company? Absolutely. Would I? Not a chance.
This was the first time in my four years with the Sabres that I have written something this off-the-cuff and non-hockey. I had the opportunity to go to the NHL Premiere Series as well as this current road trip to Montreal, Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa Bay. I wanted to shed a bit of light on the other side of things.
If you want to hear about any of those trips in a non-hockey sense, drop me a line at scott.miner@sabres.com. I’ll be more than happy to write about those.
The team skated at the Ice Sports Forum without forwards Paul Gaustad and Drew Stafford. Gaustad suffered a hip flexor in last night’s game against the Florida Panthers and Stafford sat out with an undisclosed injury. Head coach Lindy Ruff commented that both players were given a maintenance day but there shouldn’t be any issues with them for tomorrow night’s game.
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| Hecht |
Jochen Hecht returned to the ice after taking yesterday off. Ruff said while he isn’t ready to play just yet, he is getting pretty close. With the truncated list of forwards on the ice, Hecht was on a line with Matt Ellis and Cody McCormick. Brad Boyes moved up the depth chart for the day playing wing along side Derek Roy and Tyler Ennis while Ville Leino found himself playing alongside Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Kaleta.
Buffalo takes on Tampa Bay tomorrow night at 7 pm. Make sure to tune into MSG at 6:30 p.m. for Tops Game Night, the official pregame show of the Sabres.
The Sabres head into the St. Pete Times Forum on Saturday looking to complete the ninth "Sunshine Sweep" in franchise history. Since 1993, the Sabres have made 26 trips to Florida for back-to-back games against the Lightning and Panthers. They’ve swept eight of them, including five of the last eight trips. There have also been 11 splits, and they have been swept just four times. Two other sets ended in win/tie, with another finishing loss/tie.
Today’s morning skate had a more intense feel to it as the team spent time working on their special teams. This is an area that is need of a spark as Buffalo has only mustered three goals in 16 attempts and given up two shorthanded goals. Forward Drew Stafford knows the team needs to tighten up to make sure they can handle a surging Florida unit that is tied for second in the NHL with eight power play goals.
“We need to make sure that we are more disciplined because they have scored quite a few power play goals these last couple of games. We need to build on things we did in Montreal and make sure that our execution is good.”
| MORNING SKATE PODCASTSM |
| Lindy Ruff Interview |
| Luke Adam Interview |
| Drew Stafford Interview |
The Panthers also steadied their defense with the acquisition of veteran Ed Jovanovski and Brian Campbell, who leads the team in assists with seven. This new-look Panthers team has the ability to produce on the ice, and head coach Lindy Ruff knows that.
“They’ve proven that they are very competitive through the first few games and I don’t think that is going to change,” commented Ruff. “I think they (Florida) like where they’re at and I think they are just looking to improve, so I think they can be a winner.”
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| Hecht |
Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. and can be seen on MSG. Don’t forget to tune into MSG at 7 p.m. to check out the Tops Game Night pregame show.
Prior to boarding a plane for Florida, the Sabres took to the ice at Montreal’s practice facility. Head coach Lindy Ruff drove his team hard in the morning session after last night’s flat performance in the first period.
“I thought we skated well at practice this morning and for whatever reason we didn’t skate well last night so hopefully we can push through it and get back to game speed we were at the previous games”
| ADDITIONAL LINKSM |
| Lindy Ruff Interview |
Since signing a six year deal with the Sabres, winger-turned-center Leino has struggled to mesh with the system, however Ruff knows this won’t be for vary long.
“I think there is a little frustration but it takes time to fit in. It takes time to find the right guys to play with. We’re trying to hang in their and develop a little bit of chemistry, but it may take 20-30 games, it may take longer. But it does not surprise at all that a new guy coming in struggles a little bit with the guys he’s playing with
The Sabres play in Florida tomorrow night before heading to Tampa to cap off this four game road trip.
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| Luke Adam |
Forward Luke Adam started training camp fighting for a spot on the roster and managed to make the team when veteran center Jochen Hecht went down with an injury. He moved up the depth chart and has been centering a line of Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek since the season kicked off. Picking up his third goal of the year in Pittsburgh this past Saturday, Adam has found chemistry with his line-mates and hopes to keep generating offense tonight when the Sabres take on the Canadiens in Montreal.
The team skated this morning at the Bell Centre in preparation for the game and with Montreal still struggling to find their identity Buffalo can jump out and take a quick lead in the Northeast Division. Goaltender Ryan Miller knows exactly what it takes to beat the Canadiens. The goalkeeper is 19-8-5 in 32 games against the Canadiens and looks for his 20th win tonight.
“They’re a division rival, and I want to beat everyone I can” Goaltender Ryan Miller on playing the Canadiens.
| MORNING SKATE PODCASTSM |
| Lindy Ruff Interview |
| Ryan Miller Interview |
| Luke Adam Interview |
| Gragnani Interview |
All is calm on the injury front for the Sabres. Jochen Hecht continues to progress and is listed as day-to-day. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. and can be seen on MSG. Don’t forget to tune into MSG a half hour before game time to check out the Tops Game Night pregame show.
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| Jhonas Enroth |
“We plan on using Jhonas a fair amount, so in back-to-back situations, we are definitely going to use him. The overall plan for him is every 3-to-4 games to get him in.”
The Sabres will need to see an improvement on their special teams in the wake of last night’s 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The teams power play was 0-6 on the night and gave up 2 short-handed goals… trends that Ruff knows cannot continue.
“We played some situations to aggressively, gambled, and talked about that as a team and it is definitely something we have to clean up.”
| MORNING SKATE PODCASTSM |
| Lindy Ruff Interview |
| Jhonas Enroth Interview |
Game time is 7:00 P.M. and can be seen on MSG. Don’t forget to tune into MSG at 6:30 for the Tops Game Night pregame show featuring an exclusive interview with Christian Ehrhoff and follow along with the game on Twitter with @SabresDotCom.
Welcome to the the morning skate blog! Each game day, this blog will be updated to give you the latest information from Lindy Ruff and company. Pregame podcasts, videos, lines, photos and more will be housed here so you have all the information you need for that nights game.
Talk to you all soon!
With the series tied at two, the Sabres are back in Philadelphia for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The focus of the series has swung toward a physical style of play, and the Sabres have certainly shown a willingness and an ability to increase the intensity. Buffalo collected 24 hits on Wednesday night with Tyler Myers leading the charge with five.
Head coach Lindy Ruff knows that intensity and physical play are what will lead his team to a victory.
“The emotion in this series has been great,” said Ruff. “I think it got ramped up a little bit, and I think it will be the guys on the ice who dictate who wins this series.”
4/22 - Lindy Ruff Pre-GameThe Sabres spent the majority of their morning skate working on the power play. Buffalo’s special teams are on opposite sides of the spectrum with its penalty kill at 90.5% for the series while the man-advantage units are producing at a 15.8% (3-for-19) rate. Perhaps the most frustrating moment of the series, in terms of special teams, was the five-minute power play that Buffalo had in the third period of Wednesday night’s game. The Sabres started the final period with the man advantage after Flyers captain Mike Richards was assessed a major penalty for elbowing. The Sabres struggled to get anything going, managing just two shots during the power play and had trouble gaining entry into the Philadelphia zone for stretches of time.
Look for defenseman Jordan Leopold to make a return to Buffalo’s power play. Ruff stated this morning that Leopold would get an opportunity to make a return to the special teams tonight.
Flyers forwards Andreas Nodl and Jeff Carter are listed as day-to-day with injuries according to NHL.com. Defenseman Chris Pronger did participate in the morning skate for Philadelphia and remained on the ice for several minutes after, shooting pucks at the empty net. His status still remains day-to-day as Head Coach Peter Laviolette refused to comment on any changes to his lineup.
4/22 - Peter Laviolette Pre-GameThe game is set for 7:30 p.m. and can be seen on MSG, TSN and Versus. Follow all the play-by-play with Twitter.com/SabresDotCom and check back after the game for post-game reactions from players, coaches and more!
