Matt Hackett has been recalled by the Buffalo Sabres for tonight's game in Washington.
To make room for Hackett, the Sabres sent Andrey Makarov back to the Amerks. On Friday afternoon, Tim Murray needed an emergency goalie because Chad Johnson had suffered a lower body injury and could not make his start in Ottawa.
Hackett would have been the emergency call up to replace Johnson, however, he started and won Rochester's game against Hamilton on Friday night.
Johnson's injury in likely of the season ending variety.
Today, Murray sent Makarov packing and replaced him with Hackett.
The injury to Johnson can be a blessing for Hackett in two ways. Ted Nolan can ride Hackett for the majority of the remaining 17 games of this season. Nolan can rotate Hackett with Anders Lindback, who started started the past two games in Tampa and Ottawa. Also, Hackett requires to play in 8 games in Buffalo this season (of more than 30 minutes in duration) in order to qualify as an restricted free agent this summer. If he fails to play in 7 games, then he will be a UFA on July 1 and will leave Buffalo with zero compensation.
Check out Hackett's gorgeous new paint job in his Buffalo bucket. I love his homage to Hall Of Famers Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, The French Connection, and Dominik Hasek.
Matt Hackett's new mask. #OneBuffalo (@Hockeyequipmgr) #BUFvsWSH pic.twitter.com/6OzUDXQy2J
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 7, 2015#OneBuffalo
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Mikhail Grigorenko was also sent back to Rochester. He was an emergency call up when Zac Dalpe was ruled out of Friday night's game in Kanata. Grigo was also an emergency call up when Tyler Ennis was questionable to play in Tampa on Tuesday night.
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Alex Ovechkin missed his first game of the season against Minnesota on Thursday night. The GR8 skated briefly before the Caps practiced on Friday. His status is still listed as day-to-day heading into tonight’s game against the Sabres.
“He is probably questionable for (tonight),… says Caps coach Barry Trotz told the Cas’ website. “But his injury should come around fairly quickly.…
With or without Ovechkin, the Caps should have no worries earning two points tonight against Anders Lindback and the Sabres, who gave away a 2-0 lead and ended up losing in Ottawa on Friday night.
The Sabres lineup will be loaded with young kids who will have to compete like junkyard dogs against the grotesquely talented and tough Capitals.
Here’s the 4-1-1 on tonight’s Caps-v-Sabres tilt.
* The Caps have posted an 8-2-2 record in its last 12 home games against Buffalo. They have outscored the Sabres 37-29 during that span.
* Since the beginning of the 2008-09 season, the Capitals are 13-6-4 against the Sabres and have earned a point in six of their last seven contests against Buffalo.
* Sabre killer Ovechkin has earned 36 points (22G, 14A) in 24 career games against the Sabres; Nicklas Backstrom has recorded 23 points (8G, 15A) in 26 games and Jason Chimera has tallied 15 points (4G, 11A) in 20 career games against Buffalo.
* The Caps continue their season-long five-game home stand on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. Washington has posted a 7-2-1 record this season in games on home stands of three games or longer.
* The Capitals have earned a point in 15 of their last 19 home games (12/11-3/5: 13-4-2).
* The Caps have outscored opponents 54-35 during the last 19 home games and is 17 for 61 (27.9%) on the power play and 53 for 61 (86.9%) on the penalty kill.
* The Capitals rank second in the NHL in home power-play percentage (26.7%), tied for second in home power-play goals (28) and tied for sixth in home goals against (72).
* The Capitals have scored a power-play goal in three consecutive games (3/1-3/5) and have scored 10 power-play goals in their last 10 games (2/15-3/5).
* Washington is 48 for 198 (24.2%) on the power play this season, ranking second in the NHL. * Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL in power-play goals (19), Nicklas Backstrom ranks first in power-play assists (25), and Ovechkin and Backstrom rank tied for second in the League in power-play points (28).
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The Caps recalled former Erie Otters sniper Andre Burakowsky from AHL Hershey on Thursday. Look for him to play a big roll against Buffalo if Ovechkin can’t answer the bell.
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All Hail Cal! Petersen, that is!
The Buffalo Sabres goalie prospect put on a virtuoso performance that won't soon be forgotten!
He set an NCAA record for most saves made in a game, yet still managed to lose the contest.
What a heart breaker.
Thanks, Notre Dame
UMass beat Notre Dame, 4-3, in 5 OTs on Friday night in the longest hockey game in college hockey history.
Notre Dame tender Petersen set an NCAA record by pouring his guts out onto the ice and making 87 saves, dozens of the extraordinary variety for his Fighting Irish teammates.
UMass goaltender Steve Mastalerz stopped 75 shots and earned the win!!
I can't even wrap my head around these two phenomenal performances. Talk about being the backbone of your team. Just WOW!
Shane Walsh scored to end the contest at 1:24 a.m. EST after 151:42 of grueling action.
The previous record for the longest game in college hockey history was a 150:22 marathon where Quinnipiac defeated Union, 3-2, in the ECAC quarterfinals on March 12, 2010.
The previous Notre Dame record was a mere 95:18, a mark set on March 23, 2007, against Alabama-Huntsville in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Tonight's game eclipsed that mark by 56:24, nearly an entire regulation game.
The Buffalo Sabres selected the Waterloo, Iowa goalie with the 129th overall pick (5th round) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Tim Murray likes his big goalies and Petersen is 6'1 and 90 pounds. No exactly a body builder, but an athletically gifted acrobat in his crease. Petersen's career path and playing style is very similar to that of one Ryan Miller, who was selected in the 5th round (138th overall pick 1999 NHL Entry Draft) out of Michigan State University.
The loss to UMass now presses Notre Dame's faces to to the glass as the fifth-seeded Irish (15-17-5) will look to extend its season for the rest of the weekend after dropping the opening game of this best-of-three Hockey East playoff first round series against the 12th-seeded Minutemen (11-21-2). The second game is tonight at 7:05 p.m. EST with the third slated to begin at 7:05 p.m. EDT tomorow, if necessary.
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