TORONTO – Zach Metsa’s first tour around the NHL has given him a special opportunity to visit come of hockey’s most hallowed rinks and soak in each unique experience.
“I’ve been fired up for it,” the Buffalo Sabres rookie told the Times Herald prior to Tuesday’s game against the Maple Leafs. “I’m lucky.”
Metsa, 27, made his big league debut in Montreal’s Bell Centre and earlier this month played his first game at New York’s Madison Square Garden, “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
Tuesday’s game marked his second in Scotiabank Arena.
“It’s cool because they’re not necessarily places or arenas I went to a lot as a kid,” said Metsa, who signed his first NHL contract last summer.
If Metsa keeps performing like he has over the past five weeks, he should eventually earn an opportunity to play in every NHL rink.
He began Tuesday’s game having compiled one goal, two points and a gaudy plus-13 rating in his first 21 NHL appearances.
Since the Sabres recalled him from the Rochester Americans for the second time shortly before Christmas, the Wisconsin native has established himself as a strong third-pair defenseman coach Lindy Ruff utilizes about 10 minutes per game.
He recently skated alongside defenseman Jacob Bryson before Michael Kesselring returned to the lineup.
With the Sabres’ horses – captain Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson – absorbing big minutes, Metsa takes about 12 shift each contest.
As the weeks have gone by, Metsa, who began the season as about as old an NHL prospect as you’ll find, has developed more comfort in Buffalo.
“I think you have to prove it to yourself,” he said of the feeling he belongs. “You get up here and it’s easy to have … maybe just some questions. I wouldn’t maybe say doubts, but it’s like you wonder how you stack up against everyone.
“And the longer I’ve been here and the more practice time I’ve gotten with these guys, some game time, you feel more and more comfortable, and you can kind of find your spot and figure out where you belong.”
For the time being at least, Metsa is living in a hotel in Buffalo. He still has his place in Rochester, where he’s still the Amerks’ captain.
In his limited action with Rochester this season, he has compiled two goals and 13 points in 14 games.
Right now, the Amerks are missing Metsa, defenseman Zac Jones and forwards Josh Dunne, Konsta Helenius and Noah Ostlund.
They’ve kept chugging ahead without some of their top talent. Their 46 points rank fourth in the North Division.
Metsa credits Amerks coach Mike Leone for establishing of culture of “next man up.”
“If your number’s called, you got a job to do, go do it,” he said. “They’ve done pretty well.”
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Kesselring’s secondary assist on winger Alex Tuch’s late goal in Saturday afternoon’s 5-0 win over the New York Islanders marked his first point with the Sabres in his 19th appearance.
For Kesselring, who has been stymied by injuries throughout his first season with Buffalo, the assist had special meaning.
When Tuch skated over to celebrate the goal, he immediately gave him a huge smile.
“It meant a lot,” Kesselring said of the point. “Everybody knew. (Samuelsson) pointed at me right away. It’s nice just to get it over with.”
In his first two games last week after returning from a high ankle sprain, he said he felt like he had regained some of his first step.
“Just being in and out, the games feel fast when you come in,” he said. “And then a few games back I’m like, ‘This is not slow, but it’s normal again.’”