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Lehner Long Term Injury News |
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Updated:
TSN's Bob McKenzie tweeted that the MRI results of Robin Lehner's leg/ankle injury are not encouraging. Lehner underwent the MRI exam earlier today in Buffalo. McKenzie said that the injury is more like 2+ months than 2+ weeks, though official results have not been announced by the Sabres.
If it's news is true, Murray likely will make a trade for a suitable replacement to Lehner. Chad Johnson player well for the Sabres on Saturday afternoon, however, lost 4-1 on home ice to drop the Sabres to 0-2. Columbus visits Buffalo on Monday afternoon.
Nathan Lieuwen and Andrey Makarov are solid prospects but are not ready for prime time yet.
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I've been saying since Lehner was first injured Thursday night that Murray should make a trade for Calgary's Jonas Hiller. The 33 year old vet was 29-19-2 last season. He played a key role in the Flames advancing to the playoffs after finishing 27th overall the year before. Hiller, 33, is a pending UFA and carries a $4.5M cap hit.
Murray has $9.5M in available salary cap space right now.
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It's official. Th e Sabres have recalled goaltender Nathan Lieuwen from the Rochester Americans .
Lieuwen (8/8/1991, 6’4”, 189 lbs) played seven games for the Sabres during the 2013-14 season, posting a 1-4-0 record with a .906 save percentage and a 2.98 goals-against average.
In his season debut last night for the Amerks, Lieuwen made 35 saves to earn a win in the team’s season-opener. Drafted by Buffalo in the sixth round (167th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft, the Abbotsford, British Columbia native is 23-22-5 with a .911 save percentage and a 2.65 goals-against average in 53 career AHL games for Rochester.
The Sabres have placed goaltender Robin Lehner on injured reserve. The results of his MRI on his right leg/ankle are not available yet.
Linus Ullmark has been activated from injured reserve and loaned to Rochester where he may make his North American pro hockey debut tonight.
Jake McCabe has been sent down to the Amerks.
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Chad Johnson is the next man up for the Buffalo Sabres. The veteran backup goaltender will be the starter for Saturday's Eichtoberfest matinee.
At the same time that Robin Lehner will be having an MRI performed on his ailing right leg/ankle, Johnson will be leading his Sabres teammates out to the ice for their battle against the defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Lightning.
On Thursday night, Johnson was pressed into emergency action at the 12:30 mark of the second period when starter Lehner caught his skate blade in a divot in the ice inside his crease. Lehner was forced to shut it down at that moment after he made eleven saves on twelve shots faced. Johnson made nine saves on the ten shots that he faced, however, Ottawa walked out of the Buffalo barn with a controversial victory. Johnson is going to be tested early and often by the sniping Streven Stamkos, The Triplets, Ryan Callahan, and the opportunistic Bolts.
Dan Bylsma's forwards are going to have to pay attention to their own end of the rink. The Sabres will have success against Tampa if the forwards come home and help out in the defensive end. Taking time and space away from the bolts forwards is imperative. Teams that try to stick check Stamkos, Johnson, Kucherov, Palat, Filpulla, and the Bolts are often made to look stupid. The Sabres have to be aggressive on loose pucks and even more robust on the Tampa forwards when they have the puck. Time and space. The Sabres must not pay any respect to the Bolts and steal their ice away. The Buffalo D will have to win pucks and quick up them to the forwards who are leaving the D-zone with speed.
The Lightning were 4-0-1 against the Buffalo Sabres last season. Tyler Johnson had six assists and Steven Stamkos had three goals and two assists apiece against Buffalo. Lightning goalie Ben Bishop went 2-0-0 with a shutout and had a 0.50 GAA and a .971 save percentage. The Lightning outscored the Sabres 16-3 in 2014-15. Johnson will have his work cut out for him.
The Sabres didn't move their feet for 40 minutes and were flat on Thursday night. Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart and the Buffalo forwards will have to start the Tampa game the way that they ended the Ottawa game: Fast. Fast. Fast.
Sabres GM Tim Murray reiterated on Friday that Lehner's injury is not a short term issue. This is going to take a while for Lehner to recover from. Johns is the go-to guy for now. Dan Bylsma liked John's performances in the exhibition games that he played in.
"I think what we saw in [Thursday's] game is what we saw from [Johnson] in the exhibition games as well," Bylsma said. "He's got a calm, quiet demeanor in net and solid. The saves he made for us are the saves he made for us in preseason".
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Murray also spoke candidly about Lehner on the Fan 590 Toronto on Friday. The news doesn't sound very positive for the big Swede.
" He will go for an MRI tomorrow (Saturday) morning, but it's not day-to-day. It's a longer term thing. It's not a break but it's a sprain. We just have to get more information. But right now, it's not short term".
Murray said that Lehner's skate caught a rut in the ice.
"He came from behind the net quickly to get back into position and that's where he caught the rut".
Chad Johnson will be the starter when the Sabres host Tampa as part of the Eichtoberfest celebration.
Who will play back up to Johnson?
I expect Rochester Amerks starter Nate Lieuwen to back up Johnson this safternoon.
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Tim Murray is putting out feelers for a veteran goalie that he can acquire via trade.
I told you Thursday night that Calgary Flames AGM Craig Conroy was in the press box in Buffalo at the time of Lehner's injury. The Flames have three goalies on their roster right now with Jonas Hiller, Karri Ramo and Joni Ortio.
Hiller and Ramo are pending UFAs. It appears as though Flames GM Brad Treliving is leaning towards a Ramo-Ortio tandem this season. The 33 year old Hiller is a solid NHL veteran who won 26 games for the upstart Flames in 2014-15. He carries a $4.5 million cap hit this season. Coincidentally, Flames assistant general manager Craig Conroy was in Buffalo for last night's Sabres-Senators game.
Ortio will have to clear waivers-- which will never happen-- if he is waived by the Flames to their AHL affiliate in Abbottsford.
Murray may want to ask Flames GM Brad Treliving for Hiller AND a left shot D. The Sabres looked vulvernable down the middle of their D in their zone vs. Ottawa. A health Zach Bogosian will pummel oponents who dare to creep down the gut of the ice with the puck on their twig. However, the current Buffalo D looked shaky and out of position on more than one occasion versus Ottawa. Cody Franson was a yard sale in his own end in the first forty minutes. Murray needs to add another lefty, preferably with experience. Why not Calgary Flames left D Kris Russell? He's 28, plays in all situations, plays with bite and pace and can be relied upon to smash opponents off the puck. Russell may be expendable with the emergence of rookie Oliver Kylington and young lefties Tyler Wotherspoon and Patrick Sieloff.
Murray has $9.5 million in available cap space should he choose to make a trade.
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