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Rangers Will Bring The Heavy Vs. Sabres |
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Updated:
Chad Cassidy will keep his first line intact by skating JST with Reinhart and Armia. However, he will shuffle his other three lines for Game 2 tonight versus NY Rangers in Traverse City.
William Carrier will replace Brendan Lemieux on the second line with Cornel and Karabacek.
Colin Jacobs will draw in as third line center for Catenacci and Bailey.
In a surprise move, Brendan Lemieux, arguably Buffalo's best forward in the Game 1 loss to Carolina, will skate on the fourth line with Justin Kea and free agent Joe Blandisi. Lemieux brought his skill and physicality ( 1 assist, 1 scrap, 6 PIMs) to the Sabres lineup against Carolina and he vibed extremely well with Cornel and Karabacek. Is Cassidy sending the kid a message by demoting him to the fourth line?
Assistant captain Jake McCabe will be a game time decision due to an injury that he sustained in the loss to Carolina. If he cannot skate, Jared Walsh will skate in his stead.
Free agent Ryan MacKinnon will be paired with Nikita Zadorov.
Francois Brassard will get the net while Andrey Makarov will be back-up.
Forwards:
Samuels-Thomas – Reinhart – Armia
Carrier – Cornel – Karabacek
Catenacci – Jacobs – Bailey
Lemieux – Kea – Blandisi
Defense:
McCabe or Walsh – Ristolainen
Zadorov – MacKinnon
Austin – Martin
Pipes:
Brassard
Makarov
The Rangers will have several noteworthy players in their lineup tonight including recent free agent signee Jimmy Hayes (6'3 225 power center from BC) and Anthony Duclair, who scored 50 goals for the Quebec Remparts last season. Former Sabres prospect Logan Nelson will roll on L2 LW for the Rags. Nikita Zadorov's London Knights fellow knuckle chucker Paxton Leroux will roll on L4 LW.
Cassidy better be reay for the rough stuff from the Rangers.
Here's the Rangers lineup:
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Thanks, Dan and Margaret Hickling
The Baby Sabres out shot and out hit the Carolina Hurricanes on Day 1 of the Traverse City Prospects Tournament. The final shot count was 35-20 for Buffalo, yet they still lost 6-1. The Sabres got into penalty trouble early on and the Canes converted on three of four powerplay opportunities. Buffalo couldn't bury its chances while the Canes did.
At one point, Sabres goalie Andrey Makarov had allowed 4 goals on just 10 Canes shots. Certainly, the Sabres need to be better on Saturday night when they grapple with the NY Rangers at 7pm in T-City. The los doesn't sit solely at the feet of Makarov. On the first two Carolina goals, the Buffalo D failed to chip pucks out of their zone. This led to extended zone time for the Cane sand the puck eventually found the back of the net. The Sabres got better at clearing their zone as the game wore on, however, it was 3-0 before that happened. Maybe the sloppiness in their own end on their PK can be attributed to the fact that the team only had one solid practice to work on PK, PP, and 5 on 5 assignments before departing for Traverse City on Thursday.
Brendan Lemieux turned many heads on Day one with a laser-pass out of the corner to the tape of Cornel at the far post. Cornel's gorgeous drop-pass assist on Vaclav Karabacek's goal was the icing on the only cake the Sabres would bake on the day. Lemieux and his linies Eric Cornel and Karabacek-- all second round picks from the 2014 entry draft-- played impressively together versus Carolina.
Thanks, Sam Korotkin
Lemieux was selected 31st overall out of the OHL Barrie Colts. Cornel was selected 44th overall and plays for the Peterborough Petes. Karabacek was the 49th overall pick and plays for the Gatineau Olympiques. The line was very impressive as it used its speed, quickness and physicality to create scoring chances. Lemieux also played policeman when he had to arrest Canes forward Carter Sandlak for running Samson Reinhart from behind midway through the game.
Lemieux did what his instincts told him to do and that is to jump on Sandlak and hold him accountable for his cheap shot on Buffalo's first round pick second overall 2014). Lemieux collected 6 PIMs, one shot on goals, an assist and the respect of his teammates and coaches for his efforts. Lemieux's pugnacity, piss and vinegar earned him the extra minor penalty, however, I felt like his defense of Reinhart was his one and only priority in that situation. Stick tap, Peppy. That's the type of selfless spirit that weaves like thread through the fabric of a young team. It wasn't that he won or lost the battle, its that Lemieux was a courageous first responder who wasted little time coming to the aid of his teammate. That type of tenacity and accountability will serve Lemieux and the Sabres well in this tournament.
Other Sabres youngsters that caught my eye in the Carolina game were power forward Jordan Samuels-Thomas, Reinhart, Eric Cornel, Vaclav Karabacek, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Nikita Zadorov.
JST is a big man who is not afraid to engage opponents on the walls and in the enemy's blue ice. He opened up huge swatches of ice for his linies Reinhart and Armia to create in. From the opening faceoff, Reinhart was fully invested in the Carolina game. More times than not he was first on loose pucks and he wasn't shy about getting his linemates involved by way of smooth, crisp passes. Reinhart returned to the game after he was run from behind by Sandlak which speaks to the kid's competitive spirit. Cornel is a swift skating center/winger who has a keen sense for knowing where the open ice is in the o-zone. He has a quick shot as well. Karabacek moved well and got pucks to the paint as well. The slimmer, sleeker Ristolainen wore the "C"" and was a physical presence versus Carolina. The bulked up Zadorov also dropped the gong on several unsuspecting Canes.
All in all, the Sabres deserved a better fate vs. Carolina, however, they have to stay out of the box and convert their chances if they want to beat the Rangers and the Stars on Saturday and Monday, respectively.
Thanks, Sabres.com
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In other Day 1 Traverse City action, host Detroit Red Wings out-gunned St. Louis 6-5. Anthony Mantha scored twice and added a helper for the winners while Ty Rattie scored once and added two assists for the St. Louis Blues.
Brett Ritchie's two goals (assist) powered the Dallas Stars past the NY Rangers 4-3.
Marco Dano scored twice and added and assist and Kerby Rychel scored once and added two assists as the Blue Jackets shot down the Minnesota Wild 6-4.
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