Buffalo Sabres starting goalie Robin Lehner has contracted an illness and will not play in Philly on Tuesday night. Anders Nilsson will make his Buffalo debut against the Flyers when the two teams square off on NBCSN.
Dan Bylsma said Monday that Lehner missed practice Monday. Lehner is under the weather and wil not be traveling to Philly, according to Bylsma.
Tim Murray has called up Linus Ullmark from Rochester to back up Nilsson.
Lehner has 1-2-1 record this season.
Buffalo gave up a fifth-round pick in the 2017 draft to acquire Nilsson in a trade with St. Louis in July.
Nilsson is the owner of a 19-22-4 record in the past three NHL seasons. Nilsson has played for the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers.
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Dan Bylsma wants to give Dmitry Kulikov more ice time. He feels that the big Russian needs more TOI and that he has earned it with his compete and battle this season.
At Monday's practice, Kulikov flanked right shot D Zach Bogosian, whose usual partner Jake McCabe slid down to accompany Cody Franson.
Josh Gorges is still the lefty alongside Rasmus Ristolainen on the top duo.
“The pairing of Josh Gorges and Risto, while it’s not together 100% of the time during the last four games, it’s been strong as the matchup pairing. It’s getting Dmitry more ice time. He needs it, deserves it and we need him to have it".
Kulikov has averaged 20:07 TOI in the three games that he has played in. He was forced to sit out the season opener against Montreal due to a low back bruise. Kulikove has zero blocked shots, three hits and no points in his first three games as a Sabre.
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Cam Fowler is cooler than the other side of the pillow.
He hears, and has heard all of the trade speculaion and hyperbole.
On the night of the NHL Draft in Buffalo, Fowler was this close to being traded. Again on July 1 he was almost dealt. His name has ben attached to heavy trade speculation for the past twelve months and and no doubt will continue to front and center until such time that he is finally traded.
On June 29, Fowler told Pierre LeBrun that he was prepared to be traded.
"I was 100 percent prepared for something to happen (at the 2016 NHL Draft) and was honestly pretty surprised when it didn't," Fowler said. "It's one of those things where I want to be prepared for it to happen; obviously I love playing in Anaheim and being a Duck, I feel like I have a great relationship with [GM] Bob [Murray]. I just know that his hands are tied a little bit with what he needs to do. I just have to sit and be patient and see what happens."
Fowler has taken his game to new heights and is not phased by all of the hockey buzz. The chatter doesn't matter. He soesn't care about the outside noise one iota.
It is as if Fowlerer is deliberately upping his game just to spite his critics and to show the Anaheim Ducks management group who the best defensemen in their organization is right now. Many observers have anointed Hampus Lindholm as Anaheim's #1 D-man. Fowler's play seemingly is saying:
"Oh, yeah? I got your Lindholm. Right. Here".
While most NHLers would crumble and crack under such trade rumor pressure, Fowler, 24, has converted theh negatives into fuel for his on ice fire. I know. It's way too early in the 2016-17 season to be throwing around platitudes and compliments. But.... the Ducks have played 5 games this season and Fowler has been the most dominant defender in the NHL these past two weeks of the new NHL season.
He is tied with Corey Perry for second in overall team scoring with 5 points in 5 games played. Folwer has scored 3 goals and has added 2 assists. He has scored 2 PPGs. He leads the Ducks blue liners with 24:33 TOI. He has deleivered 5 hits, has 6 blocked shots and has scored his 3 goals on 14 shots (21.1% shooting %). He's on pace to easily eclipse the 5 goal, 23 assist totals that he accumulated during teh 2015-16 regular season.
My theory is that Fowler knows down deep that once Lindholm is re-signed to his 6 year, $34-$36 million contract extension that he will be traded.
On Saturday, Bob Murray called up young blue liner Shea Theodore to add more pop to the Anaheim D corps. I saw the Theodore promotion as a "tell" that a Lindholm contract announcemnet could be happening any time now. Theodore is a left shot D who runs a PP. Fowler is a left shot D who runs a power play. It doesn't take Magnum P.I. to figure out that Theodore has been groomed to become Fowler's replacement when a trade finally occurs.
Fowler has been linked via trade rumors to three Eastern Conference teams. They are Buffalo, Boston, and New Jersey. The Ducks played their first four games of the season in the east. He was scouted heavily while he was performing masterfully in Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, Newark and Philly.
“I have a good perspective of things heading into this season,” Fowler told the O.C. Register.
“I have a clear mind despite all the stuff that’s going around me. At the end of the day, this is a business and decisions have to be made. All I can do is go out and play my game to the best of my ability.”
Today, Fowler is playing perhaps the most inspired hockey of hi ssix year NHL career. He is putting on a show every night because he knows that the eyes in the sky are intently watching his every move.
It's been hard to overlook Fowler's overall contributions to his team in the first five games of the season. If he keeps playing like this, he will be nominated fcor a Norris Trophy next spring.
In 420 career regular season games, Fowler has scored 37 goals and 146 assists for 183. He now has scored 19 career PP gaols and has 84 power play points in his illustrious career.
Last December, Buffalo Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma called Fowler the best puck distributor and power play QB in the NHL. That is high praise from a man who once coached Kris Letang in Pittsburgh.
Fowler is the best value contract in the NHL today. He's a $4 million cap hit for this and next season. His contract can be easily traded.
Fowler has laser beam focus on his team goals. He's not allowing himslef to be dstracted by all of the hoopla and buzz.
“Any time I come to the rink, that’s the only thing on my mind,” Fowler said. “Doing the best that I can to help contribute to this team. Whatever happens after that is out of my control.
“I’m focused on the things that I can do and trying to be the best player I can be. Take it from there.”
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