Adam Pardy should stay in the NHL the rest of this season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times HeraldBUFFALO – There are some perks to hotel life, Adam Pardy said. Each day, a maid makes his bed and cleans his room. That’s not a bad thing, right?
For three months, the defenseman has been living out of a suitcase while shuttling between the Sabres and the Rochester Americans, an experience the 28-year-old chalks up to being “one of those years.”
“It (stinks), but it is what it is,” Pardy said about hotel living Saturday after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s …
Jordan Leopold smiled often. ©2013, Janet Schultz, Olean Times HeraldJordan Leopold’s Sabres career ended today when the team dealt him to the St. Louis Blues for two draft picks. Leopold, whose accountability and quick wit made him a great personality, wasn’t overly flashy. The American did a little bit of everything well. That’s why he consistently (and very quietly) led the Sabres in ice time. His value to the Sabres was huge.
Here’s what I wrote about Leopold on Jan. 6, 2012.
BUFFALO – Yes, Jordan Leopold said, he’s received big …
Mark Pysyk has played five games. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times HeraldWhile interim Buffalo Sabres coach Ron Rolston wouldn’t confirm it, defenseman Andrej Sekera, out the last five games, essentially told reporters in Florida he planned to play tonight against the Panthers following a five-game absence.
Slick winger Thomas Vanek (muscle strain) is out and struggling winger Drew Stafford, a healthy scratch the last two games, will return, Rolston told reporters.
Assuming Sekera returns, what should the Sabres do? Should Rolston simply sit rookie defenseman Mark Pysyk?
That’s not a given, Rolston said Monday. …
Mark Pysyk (53) battled Toronto's James van Riemsdyk on Thursday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times HeraldMONTREAL – Earlier this season, rookie Mark Pysyk, the same defense prospect now playing almost 16 minutes a game for the Buffalo Sabres, sat as a healthy scratch in the AHL three times.
“I just needed a little wake-up call,” Pysyk said Saturday inside the Bell Centre prior to the Sabres’ 2-1 win, his fourth NHL game.
When interim Sabres coach Ron Rolston benched Pysyk with the Rochester Americans in December, the odds of the Sabres’ 2010 first-round pick cracking the NHL …
Drew Stafford battled Clarke MacArthur (16) in his last appearance Thursday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times HeraldMONTREAL – In just 32 days on the job, interim coach Ron Rolston has quickly put his mark on the Buffalo Sabres, scratching five regular forwards.
Prior to Saturday, struggling winger Drew Stafford had escaped a benching, only receiving some fourth-line duty for his poor play. With a two-goal effort last Saturday and the shootout-tying score Thursday, it appeared the assistant captain would keep dressing.
But Stafford, who has only four goals and a team-worst minus-12 rating in 31 games, was a …
Thomas Vanek has missed one game. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times HeraldBUFFALO – When Christian Ehrhoff’s point blast hit Thomas Vanek squarely in the hip early in the Sabres’ 3-2 overtime win Tuesday in Montreal, the slick winger thought the worst.
“I thought he broke my hip because it was puck on bone,” Vanek said this afternoon after practicing inside the First Niagara Center, his first session back on the ice.
But the Sabres’ leading scorer has healed quickly. He felt good during the short skate and believes he can return Saturday in …
Thomas Vanek has missed three games this season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times HeraldBUFFALO – Sabres winger Thomas Vanek, who took a lethal Christian Ehrhoff point shot off the hip early in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win in Montreal, missed practice Wednesday and is questionable for tonight’s tilt against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“He’s a little bit better but still going to be day-to-day, what he can tolerate,” interim Sabres coach Ron Rolston said Wednesday inside the First Niagara Center. “He’s certainly a possibility.”
Meanwhile, defenseman Andrej Sekera practiced Wednesday but will likely miss his third …
Thomas Vanek gets a lot of bumps standing in front of the net. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times HeraldBUFFALO – Sabres winger Thomas Vanek, who took a lethal Christian Ehrhoff shot off the hip early in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win in Montreal, missed practice today and is questionable for Thursday’s home tilt against Toronto.
“He’s a little bit better but still going to be day-to-day, what he can tolerate,” interim Sabres coach Ron Rolston said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center. “He’s certainly a possibility.”
Meanwhile, defenseman Andrej Sekera practiced today but will likely miss his third straight game.
What …
Mark Pysyk has played 57 AHL games this season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times HeraldWith Andrej Sekera (upper body) out tonight, the Buffalo Sabres have recalled defenseman Mark Pysyk from Rochester. The 21-year-old will make his NHL debut tonight against the Washington Capitals.
Pysyk, the 23rd overall pick in 2010, has four goals, 18 points, 20 penalty minutes and plus-8 rating in 57 games with the AHL Americans.
The rookie played four years with the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings before turning professional this season.
In summoning Pysyk, the Sabres bypassed veteran defenseman Adam Pardy, who …
Ville Leino played his first game since April 7 on Saturday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times HeraldBUFFALO – Ron Rolston wasted no time, throwing Ville Leino right into the fire Saturday afternoon, the winger’s first game since April 7.
The Sabres’ interim coach put Leino, sidelined by a hip injury the first 27 games this season, out for the opening faceoff inside the First Niagara Center.
“It was good for me,” Leino said about starting the game after the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators. “It made me feel comfortable. Sometimes you want to have a …