Numminen?

[MillerTyme]

Any information on Teppo? I crap my pants enough everytime Rory is out there ... idk about having to call up another D like Janik ... We need Teppppooooo!!!

[wjag]

In Ruff's post game press conference he said he is day-to-day with a "lower body to mid-lower body" injury. Guessing deep thigh bruise or charlie horse...

[BetweenThePipes00]

On NBC during the game they said lower back ... maybe the guy down by the benches saw or heard something to indicate that ... but in the playoffs who knows.

[Saber61]

imagine we lose mckee! done and done... who steps up into that role! but i can't imagine a janik and fitzpatrick tandem or paired with our regular d-men... were digging to deep... soon enough were going to hit rock bottom... but playoff hockey is a war of attrition... you have to take a beating to get anywhere.

[frisky]

I get the feeling that Janik will be plugged in there. Or possibly would they go with just 5 d and wait til Teppo comes back if it isn't that bad. Not looking good back there. Kalinin probably won't be ready for a while yet either.

[Corp000085]

I get the feeling that Janik will be plugged in there. Or possibly would they go with just 5 d and wait til Teppo comes back if it isn't that bad. Not looking good back there. Kalinin probably won't be ready for a while yet either.

 

I predict kalinin being back sooner than later. I noted in my lamp post that he was walking around with dress shoes on. You don't exactly do that if you have a broken ankle. As for a completely casual prediction, i bet he'll be back for game 3 or 4, along with connolly and mair...

 

 

as for connolly, i bet he's symptom free right now, and just going through his week of non-symptoms... They didn't risk the flight to "watch" the team. I bet he's the suprise in the starting lineup on wednesday.

[Stoner]

I just wish everyone would stop speculating on injuries when there is almost no information to go on. Fans, media, your aunt all have theories about this guy or that guy. What is anyone going on? Sorry, it just gets frustrating to hear NBC say lower back, Paul Hamilton speculate groin, Bob Dicesare say leg and your Aunt Mary say charlie horse!

[Linksfiend]

I just wish everyone would stop speculating on injuries when there is almost no information to go on. Fans, media, your aunt all have theories about this guy or that guy. What is anyone going on? Sorry, it just gets frustrating to hear NBC say lower back, Paul Hamilton speculate groin, Bob Dicesare say leg and your Aunt Mary say charlie horse!

Tim Graham also says leg in today's BN Sabres Notebook

[Stoner]

I don't know why rules of journalism go out the window when it comes to covering sports. Tim Graham should tell us how he knows that. Does he have a source? Did he observe something? Or is he just speculating? What was Paul Hamilton going on when he speculated that Teppo hurt his groin? Is that the role of Paul, to just speculate? I know Brad Riter doesn't consider himself a journalist. That's fine. But wouldn't you call a beat reporter who covers a team a sports journalist?

[northersabre]

Calm down PAsabresfan. That is what the media and our aunts are here for to speculate. What else would we be chatting about?? I mean during the superbowl week that is a major part of odds making and decision making is injuries. These things are very impotant to the vitality of not only our teams but the odds making in Vegas. It is also about the only thing inbetween games to talk about.

[Stoner]

It's the job of the fans to speculate. It's fun. I will give you that. It is not the job of media members, when they are playing the role of reporter, to guess or speculate about injuries. It's not what I want when I tune in WGR's beat reporter or read the Buffalo News. I don't think it's too much to ask! Now, when Paul goes on with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog, he's wearing a different hat. He can speculate all he wants. When he's there, at the game, reporting between periods or after the game, just the facts, man. By the way, a writer in a Toronto paper says Numminen injured his knee! Back, knee, groin, thigh. Grrrr...

[blugold43]

it's just frustrating because we're all dying to know what the hell is going on with these guys and there is just no way to get reliable info. i just try to take it for what it's worth and try to remember that it beats the alternative...i.e.: sabres playing golf.

[Allan in MD]

I just have a hunch that Tim is skating. It may be wishful thinking but something tells me otherwise.

[Orange Seats]

Well, PA, there is SOME info to go on.

 

1. Lindy said Timmay! will play in this series. So unless he's sending up a smokescreen for the Canes he'll probably be back by game 4 at the latest.

 

2. Mair was cleared for contact to skate mid week. Give him a week of practice and the most hopeful among us want to think he'll be back. This might be an overreach, but it's based on a real news release.

 

3. Corp saw Kalinin walking in dress shoes without a limp. That means he's not wearing a massive cast and he's not in pain. Good reasons to be hopeful for his return.

 

4. Teppo, who knows. I agree, it is frustrating that everyone has a different idea about what a guy's injury is when he goes down. The players don't seem to mind the confusion though. Briere (I think) said its actually helpful if the opposing team doesn't know exactly how you're hurt because they can't run at your injury. Maybe the players know more about exactly how a guy is hurt, I really don't know.

[Stoner]

Lindy also said Tim was doing pretty good the night of the hit and could return for the next game!

[Corp000085]

PA, you'll love this...

 

 

The beat reporter for tsn (the indian guy... i can't remember his name) just reported that teppo did not participate in the full practice yesterday, but he will do the morning skate today before making a decision whether to go or not because of his hip flexor injury. And no, he did not state his source.

 

 

Take it for what its worth, but if teppo is going to skate the day of, its a sign that it will probably be a one game injury at the most. We should hopefully know by noon.

[wjag]

So now we can add hip flexor to charlie horse, deep thigh bruise, lower back, groin... at least no one is saying knee....

[Stoner]

Yes we can! A writer in Toronto reported that.

[BradRiter]

More speculation, but I think this is what has happened...

 

The first thing I heard was NBC's John Davidson say "lower back injury" and immediately thought "that's weird, there's no way they'd be able to have information THAT specific." Then I was told that RJ had just said "lower body injury" and thought "OK, Davidson must have mispoke or misheard (pretty easy to do during a live broadcast.) Lower body injury makes way more sense."

 

Paul Hamilton is saying "groin area" because when he asked Teppo "is it a groin injury?" he said "it's in that area." We're never going to hear "Teppo's groin muscle is partially separated from blah blah blah" or "his right hip is acting up as it tends to do when he takes a lot of hits" or anything like that. You get a hint of what's wrong with the guy and take it for what it's worth.

 

The latest, by the way, is that Teppo was out there for the skate this morning, spent some time talking with one of the trainers, skated a bit, went to take a shot, couldn't even get the stick up to his waist, put it down, and left the ice.

[X. Benedict]

More speculation, but I think this is what has happened...

 

The first thing I heard was NBC's John Davidson say "lower back injury" and immediately thought "that's weird, there's no way they'd be able to have information THAT specific." Then I was told that RJ had just said "lower body injury" and thought "OK, Davidson must have mispoke or misheard (pretty easy to do during a live broadcast.) Lower body injury makes way more sense."

 

Paul Hamilton is saying "groin area" because when he asked Teppo "is it a groin injury?" he said "it's in that area." We're never going to hear "Teppo's groin muscle is partially separated from blah blah blah" or "his right hip is acting up as it tends to do when he takes a lot of hits" or anything like that. You get a hint of what's wrong with the guy and take it for what it's worth.

 

The latest, by the way, is that Teppo was out there for the skate this morning, spent some time talking with one of the trainers, skated a bit, went to take a shot, couldn't even get the stick up to his waist, put it down, and left the ice.

Damn. Thanks for the info Brad.

[wjag]

Per WGR - He skated in practice today, but did not finish.

 

I was patrolling the Carolina site and came across a Sabres fan admidst their only game day thread. He said, now mind you this is totally third hand, that Ruff said the Sabres will play 4 defenders tonight. He will mix in Janik and Fitzpatrick, but neither would get a lot of ice time. He was principally going with Tallinder, Lydman, McKee, and Campbell...

 

Hmm... If it is true, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I guess I could make a case pro and con. But being on deadlegs in the third wouldn't be good....

 

Haven't found any collaborating evidence of this.....

[BuffalOhio]

Not so fast on Kalinin.

 

I took a shot off the ankle a couple years ago. It didn't hurt to walk, it didn't hurt to put shoes on. What I couldn't do, is put skates on and lace them up and then go skate. That's where the problem lies for Kalinin. I read where he has a hairline fracture in his ankle. That means it will be sensitive for awhile. He'll have to find some way to pad the area before he can begin to skate.

 

Better to let it cool down some more and then have him for the Cup Finals. Hopefully they can get through this rough patch.

 

Cross your fingers that no other defensemen get injured. If so, we're toast.

[topshelfcookies]

Per WGR - He skated in practice today, but did not finish.

 

I was patrolling the Carolina site and came across a Sabres fan admidst their only game day thread. He said, now mind you this is totally third hand, that Ruff said the Sabres will play 4 defenders tonight. He will mix in Janik and Fitzpatrick, but neither would get a lot of ice time. He was principally going with Tallinder, Lydman, McKee, and Campbell...

 

Hmm... If it is true, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I guess I could make a case pro and con. But being on deadlegs in the third wouldn't be good....

 

Haven't found any collaborating evidence of this.....

 

I find this too hard to believe. There's no way the Sabres won't dress 6 defenders...it makes no sense to only dress 4, unless they plan on bumping a guy like Pominville or Hecht back on D. The Sabres will dress 6, including Fitzpartick and Janik, I guess, and those guys will play. Lindy might cut back on their ice time in the 3rd, especially if it's a close game, but Lindy has shown confidence in rookies before...why else would Novotny have been out on a PK in the 3rd period vs. Ottawa?

[Corp000085]

 

I find this too hard to believe. There's no way the Sabres won't dress 6 defenders...it makes no sense to only dress 4, unless they plan on bumping a guy like Pominville or Hecht back on D. The Sabres will dress 6, including Fitzpartick and Janik, I guess, and those guys will play. Lindy might cut back on their ice time in the 3rd, especially if it's a close game, but Lindy has shown confidence in rookies before...why else would Novotny have been out on a PK in the 3rd period vs. Ottawa?

 

Teppo was out before... Janik will be fine paired with lydman, tallinder, mckee, or campbell. Just don't put him on the ice with rory, ever... unless we're up by 6 halfway through the 3rd.

[Taro T]

I find this too hard to believe. There's no way the Sabres won't dress 6 defenders...it makes no sense to only dress 4, unless they plan on bumping a guy like Pominville or Hecht back on D. The Sabres will dress 6, including Fitzpartick and Janik, I guess, and those guys will play. Lindy might cut back on their ice time in the 3rd, especially if it's a close game, but Lindy has shown confidence in rookies before...why else would Novotny have been out on a PK in the 3rd period vs. Ottawa?

I'm not sure if it was Brad or Paul, or maybe a caller to the show, but someone speculated that Rory and Doug would probably play about 5 minutes each which means the other 4 guys will have to play 27-28 minutes each.

 

They can do it for a couple of games, but if the core of the D has to play nearly 30 minutes each night (assuming the games don't go to OT), they will be seriously worn down if the series goes 6 or 7 games. Also, I am not thrilled with the prospect of seeing Soupy play nearly 30 minutes per game.

 

I am not happy that Janik is probably dressing tonight because he hasn't played a game since the middle of April and he hasn't played in the "new" NHL against NHL quality fast forwards. Hopefully the kid is a quick study, because his head could definitely be spinning if Laviolette manages to get the Staal line out against him. (At least Ryan should know where the shots will be coming from.)

 

This game worries me because of the depleted defense and Lindy's inability to get the last change. I wonder if we see Rory or Janik on the ice primarily when the Drury line is on because that is Buffalo's best defensive line and then Laviolette has to make a decision - does he put the Staal line out against that unit.

 

I agree with Corp, I don't expect to see Rory and Janik on the ice together at all tonight.