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More headed to Rochester, plus injury notes |
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Chris Ryndak of BuffaloSabres.com says that seven players have been sent to Rochester: Forwards Joel Armia, Matt Ellis, and Tim Schaller; defensemen Drew Bagnall and Nick Petrecki; and goaltenders Nathan Lieuwen and Andrey Makarov.
Lieuwen and Makarov both had starts with Buffalo and both played very well in losses. They'll hit Rochester and battle it out for the #1 goalie spot with the Amerks.
Unlike last season, Armia looks to be starting his second season in North America injury-free. Last year he suffered an injury in a preseason game and was sidelined for six weeks. He had a decent training camp and is looking for consistency in Rochester.
Schaller and Petrecki are young players who got their taste of the NHL and look to bring it in the AHL while Ellis and Bagnall are seasoned veterans who will need to clear waivers in order to stick with the organization.
Bagnall, it should be noted, played a big part in the development of Rasmus Ristolainen last season. Some youngin, probably Jake McCabe, will end up with Bagnall on the top pair and will be a better player for it.
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The word from head coach Ted Nolan is that Patrick Kaleta's injury is not as bad as they thought it was after the forward took a slapshot to his face. Originally they thought Kaleta might be out three months or so, now they're looking at around one month.
Perhaps it a piece of good luck that's eluded him as last season Kaleta was suspended, sent to Rochester upon his return and was felled by an injury after only seven games in Rochester. The Sabres have taken note of Kaleta's approach to everything that happened and they've lauded his efforts to rehab both his body and his game. Said Nolan, “His effort and his commitment and what he did in the offseason to get back to where he is right now were enough for me to see how much character this young man has and how much he wants to be a Buffalo Sabres.
“Right now, it’s tough on him, I imagine, but hopefully he can rest assure that he made a really good impression on us. We’re looking forward to him healing quick and getting back on the ice.”
Johan Larsson who was felled by an elbow in the same game (Toronto) that Kaleta went down has an "upper body" injury that's also not as serious as expected. He's expected to miss 10 games.
And defensemen Mark Pysyk, who suffered an "upper body" injury last week vs. Carolina has not begun skating yet. He's said to be out at least the rest of the week.
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