The Finns have asked for the permission of the Buffalo Sabres to invite rookie tower of power Rasmus Ristolainen to their IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships selection team camp. Ristolainen has been loaned to the Finns and will be representing his country at the WJCs in Malmo, Sweden later this month.
The Finns can certainly use Ristolainen's size and skill on the 200 by 100 European sheet.
The recently turned 19 year old Ristolainen has played 19 games in Buffalo this season and he didn't look out of place. He made a few mistakes here and there like all NHL rooks do, but all things considered, he showed many encouraging glimpses of the physicality, grinding nature, and passing abilities that made him validate why he was worthy of Buffalo's 8th overall pick on last June's entry draft.
He's been handed adversity during his brief pro career and he's handled it amazingly well for a youngster.
Ristolainen was sent down to Rochester two weeks ago so that he could play top pairing minutes and so that he could maximize his playing time against the best forwards in the AHL. In 5 games played, he scored 2 goals and added 2 assists. He suffered a concussion when he was cracked while he wasn't looking by a Lake Erie cheap shot artists 10 days ago. As a precaution, the Amerks made Ristolainen a healthy scratch in their three games last week.
Ristolainen represented Finland at the 2013 WJCs in Ufa, Russia
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Updated 1:25pm:
No great surprise with this swift, sudden ruling on James Neal's punk play on Boston Brad Marchand on Saturday night.
Neal has been banned for five games for his careless, dangerous actions.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward James Neal has been suspended for five games, without pay, for kneeing Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand during NHL Game No. 438 in Boston on Saturday, Dec. 7, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 11:06 of the first period. Neal received a minor penalty for kneeing.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Neal will forfeit $128,205.15. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
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On Sunday night, Garth Snow foreshadowed a roster move.
On Monday morning Pacific time, he made one.
Bouchard, 29, is a useful veteran forward who was signed as a free agent last summer to add depth and veteran leadership to the emerging, young Isles forward ranks. He's a one-year, $2 million guy. He has scored four goals and has added five assists in 28 games ( -9).
Are there more move(s) to come?
There should be. The Islanders have lost 9 straight games. They are a pathetic 2-12-2 in their last 16 games.
More to come....
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Speaking of winds of change, Sabres head coach Ted Nolan scrambled his lines at today's practice.
Cody Hodgson and Drew Stafford are no longer on the first line.
The offense is broken and it needed to be addressed. Nolan isn't getting anywhere near the goal production from his top six group. Ten goals in the last eight games? Nowhere good enough, boys.
Nolan had been icing a first line of 26-19-21. The work has been there since Nolan took over the bench, however, the goals haven't been coming on a regular basis.
Thats why Nolan flipped the script today.
Here are the four new line trios:
Moulson-Ennis-Girgensons
Adam-Hodgson-D'Agostini
Foligno-Ott-Stafford
Scott-Leino/McCormick-Flynn
Thanks,
Buffalo Hockey Beat
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