The Sabres skated for a little less than an hour at the NorthTowns Center in Amherst today. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is loading in at First Niagara Center.
My friend, @BillHoppeSabres tweeted great news that Nathan Gerbe has passed his concussion baseline test. I spoke with Gerbe after the Caps win and he told me that he has been feeling "much better" this week.
Gerbe has been out of commission since 12/7 due to the concussion that he suffered as a result of this hit from behind by Philly's MA Bourdon.
Won't be long until Nate will be able to resume contact in practice and then re-join the team for games.
Tyler Myers is making progress in his rehab from his broken wrist. Myers told me Monday night that he's encouraged that he is "getting closer to coming back". The one thing that he is working out right now is working through some of the discomfort. That'll happen in due time.
Myers has been skating for weeks, however, just started his stick handling routine last week. Battle drills and contact will be incorporated shortly.
All things considered, Myers may be ready to make a return later this week.
If Buffalo, NY had its own official paper currency, its a lead pipe cinch that the faces of Brayden McNabb and Zack Kassian would appear on it. McNabb has become a true blue and gold folk hero in Buffalo this season. Ditto Kassian. Two young bucks, with blue collar DNA coarsing through their veins, busting their asses, imposing their iron wills to make the Sabres a winning team. More on Kassian later.
McNasty will always remember Boxing Day 2011. Behold, his first ever NHL goal:
He also dropped the hammer an a couple of unsuspecting Caps.
In a word, McNabb has been McNasty!
To understand where he is in his NHL career, its best to look back to where McNasty has been. His road to the NHL hasn't been been illuminated by bright spots along the way from Kootenay of the WHL to Rochester of the AHL, and now he's a bonafide difference maker in the NHL.
Did you know that McNabb was cut from Team Canada's WJC squad last December?
McNabb was dejected when he was given the news of his dismissal.
He told The National Post:
It’s obviously not the nicest wake-up [call] and it’s pretty hard to take right now, because I wanted to be on the team. It’s unfortunate. I just got to take it as a positive and go back to junior and do my best and help out the (Kootenay) Ice as best I can.
Team Canada opted to go to war against the world juniors with the following seven D:
Tyson Barrie, Kelowna, WHL (Colorado)
Jared Cowen, Spokane, WHL (Ottawa)
Calvin de Haan, Oshawa, OHL (N.Y. Islanders)
Simon Despres, Saint John, QMJHL (Pittsburgh)
Ryan Ellis, Windsor, OHL (Nashville)
Erik Gudbranson, Kingston, OHL (Florida)
Dylan Olsen, Minnesota Duluth, NCAA (Chicago)
All seven are gifted in their own right and all played well in the WJC tourmament in Buffalo. McNabb would have added another dimension of skating, stick skills, and D-zone toughness to this D corpse that would have augmented its over value and skill.
McNabb felt as if he had a strong enough WJC tryout camp. No dice. he was still cut.
McNabb wasn't the only high profile player on the receiving end of that dreaded early morning phone call at the team’s hotel. Three members of the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL: D Jesse Blacker and F's Joey Hishon of Stratford and Garrett Wilson were also sent home.
Also cut were five players from the WHL, including Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants, Ryan Howse of the Chilliwack Chiefs, Brad Ross of the Portland Winterhawks and Linden Veh of the Medicine Hat Tigers.
On Monday night in the Buffalo room, while the media were scrummed around Ryan Miller's post game presser, I spoke candidly with McNabb about the heartbreak associated with being cut from Team Canada last December.
"That was motivation for me. I got cut... and my game really picked up after that. My points were coming and I look back at that moment when I was cut as the turning point in my hockey career", McNabb told me.
Most hockey players would have taken the rejection and subsequent dismissal as a slap to the side of the face. Not McNabb.
"It made me better. Was I mad? Yeah, I was. Ya know, its a dream growing up in Canada, to play for the World Juniors. We always watch it on TV at Christmas. Its a tremendous honor to be selected to play. Then, to get that phone call, at 6am... telling me that I'm cut and I have to go home? That stay with you. I'll tell you now that I wanted to prove them all wrong".
Man, did he ever.
Rather than sulk and pout like a lot of young hockey players would do, McNabb skated back to Kootenay and DOMINATED the WHL.
In 59 games, he scored 22 goals, added 50 assists for 72 points. He also added 95 PIMs.
In the Playoffs, he scored 3 goals and assisted on 24 others.
His Kootenay Ice team eventually would lose to St. John in the Memorial Cup Finals.
Thats the meausure of a true competitor to star advesrity in the face and then turn it into a fuel source.
I told McNabb that Canada has enough blue chip talent to ice six powerhouse World Junior teams. Canada is a country that has a wealth of world-class hockey players. He didn't want to hear about it.
"It still hurts to be cut", he told me.
So, you're punishing your opponents with extreme prejudice just to get even, right?
"You can say that", McNabb told me.
With Tyler Myers getting healthy and nearing a return to the lineup, I asked McNabb if he is at all concerned about the prospects of being sent back down to Rochester.
"This time here has been awesome. I'm having a great time. I want to continue to get better as a player and I'm working hard each day. I want to stay here in Buffalo".
Buffalo believes in you.
Beauty bucket, McNasty!
thanks, sabres.com
*****
Who knew that Matt Ellis had such soft, supple hands?
Ellis was rewarded with this beauty because Luke Adam and Zack Kassian were there to support him in the slot.
" I've seen Lukey, we played last year together in Portland early on in the season we spent a quite a bit of time together so he and i are familiar. Zack's a big body with a lot of upside, a lot of skill. We talked about it before the game about holding onto pucks. All three of us are big guys who can go into the corners. It was a fun night for us. I like playing with the two young bucks", he said with a wry smile.
Nice goal. Some dangle action. Who knew?
"I've seen some of the more skilled guys doing their thing around its so its one I'll take. Its definitely exciting to be able to contribute on the score sheet".
Ellis is a blood and guts role player. He's a hard player to play against because his motor is always running at 2000 rpms. Its all effort, all the time with Ellis. His work ethic is contagious. He plays the exact effort that Lindy wants his who team to play with: win walls, steal pucks, play tight D, finish with hard checks, be hard on the puck, never stop working.
"Something that we talked about in this locker room that needed to improve is our control of the puck. When your heavy on pucks and you turn your back to protect it, you're spending more time in the O-zone which is making other teams try to take it off you. It wears them down. Its a lot more fun to play in the offensive zone. I think we did a real good job tonight managing the puck and creating some solid zone time that led to some scoring opportunities", Ellis said.
Great game by Ellis.
***
Wonder what Ovechkin's teammates think of him? Did anyone protect him and come to his defense after he was destroyed by Regehr?
How about after Kassian popped him?
Doesn't look to me like there's a lot of support on the Caps bench for their Captain.
It appears obvious to me that Bruce Boudreau was not the problem in Washington.
****
Maybe its not a bad thing that Dale Hunter was given only a one year contract to coach the Caps. Coaching Ovechkin will eventually take its toll on Hunter. He's got a kushy gig as co-owner of the OHL London Knights, with he and his brother Mark.
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