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Buffalo Sabres today announced the team has recalled defensemanJake McCabe from the Rochester Amerks.
Happy 22nd Birthday, Jake McCabe.
I'm happy for McCabe because he performed very well for the Sabres in recent exhibition games and in the Prospects Challenge tourney. He was a bright light at July's rookie development camp as well.
Dan Bylsma has been bullish on McCabe in recent weeks. He moves the puck quickly and efficiently to his forwards at a high pace. He skates well and play the physical style at an NHL level.
McCabe, a University of Wisconsin standout, was a second round selection of the Sabres in 2012.
McCabe has one assist in nine career games with Buffalo.
McCabe led all Amerks rookies and finished sixth among AHL rookie defensemen with 29 points (5+24) in 57 games last season.
My guess is that McCabe will take the place of Carlo Colaiocovo on the Buffalo D corps. Unless, Bylsma gets ambitious and slots McCabe with Rasmus Ristolainen, with whom he has great chemistry in the past three seasons in Rochester and training camp. If he pairs with Ristolainen, Josh Gorges would like down to the third pair with Mark Pysyk. Gorges suffered a lower body injury late in training camp, however, has played the first two games of the season.
We shall see where McCabe slots in when warm ups commence at 2:30pm EDT.
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I am blessed to be surrounded by great family and friends.
I am thankful for the health and well being of my wife and kids.
Today, I wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving, if you are so inclined.
For those of you who are celebrating Columbus Day, I tip my helmet to you.
As for the Buffalo Sabres, I'm thankful that they have become a more competitive and relaibe team than they were the past two seasons. I feel confident that they are a playoff team, Robin Lehner's injury notwithstanding. Lehner is now on injured reserve and will remain there until U.S. Thanksgiving or Christmas. His MRI results revealed that Lehner suffered high ankle sprain on a fluky play in Thursday's loss to Ottawa. Chad Johnson has become your goalie du jour. I expect Tim Murray to make a trade for a veteran goalie to help Johnson shoulder the load until Lehner returns to the ice 6-10 weeks from now.
I like the structure and pace of Dan Bylsma's system. I see some breakdowns and deviations from the system here and there but that is to be expected since 50% of the Buffalo roster was turned ovber in the offseason. The Sabre sare only two games into an eighty two game season and I am heartened by what I have seen from players young and old to this point. I feel that things are only going to get better and more consistent from a defensive standpoint in the days and weeks to come. In the first two games of the season, the evolving Sabres have allowed seven goals against and have scored just two of their own. Bylsma's isn'y happy about the -5 goal differential. He wants to kickstart his offense to produce goals in the 3.5-4 goals per game range that he had grown accustomed to in the seven game exhibition season. A lot of the offensive struggles can be traced directly to the point where the forwards are not burying their chances. What few chances they do get on the inside of the opponent's defensive zone structure they are not burying. The Buffalo forwards are not bullying their way to the blue ice on a consistent basis. They have been content to shoot from the faceoff circles , the walls and the points. The majority of the goals in today's NHL are scored from the hash marks down and that is exactly where Bylsma is urging his forwards to up their compete and commitment level.
Bylsma still hasn't found what he's looking for in the form of competitive, complete line combinations. Bylsma will not be satisfied until hebuilds his better mousetrap.
Jack Eichel has already played with five different right wingers this season.
Captain Brian Gionta is expected to make his season debut today against Columbus after sitting out the first two games of the season with a lower body injury suffered in las Wednesday's practice.
At Sunday's practice, Bylsma threw his line combos in the blender, pressed "puree" and this is the juice that emerged:
O’Reilly – Girgensons – Ennis Kane – Eichel – Gionta Moulson – Larsson – Foligno Deslauriers – Legwand – McGinn/ReinhartGorges – Ristolainen Weber – Franson Colaiacovo – Pysyk Guhle – Donovan
Johnson Lieuwen
O'Reilly enjoyed his best goal scoring production when he was moved from center to the wing when he played in Colorado. Bylsma wants to see more from ROR, who will start on left wing today. Perhaps movingg him to the wall will reeduced his responsiblities and will simlify his game. O'Reilly's pace and skating have been great. He simply hasn't gotten the puck in scoring areas.
Zemgus Girgensons has been relaile and steady in his play and has earned top line center minutes.
Gionta is expected to slot back in with Jack Eichel and Evander Kane where he played with success in the preseason.
Samson Reinhart finds himself on the outside looking in right now. His overall play can best be described as "OK" . Not superb. Not steallar. No great. Just OK.
With Gionta healthy, Reinhart is the 13th forward and will likely scratch out versus Columbus. Should Gionta suffer a setback, Reinhart would likely draw back in to the starting lineup.