Showing posts with label card. Show all posts
Showing posts with label card. Show all posts

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Sabres make play for Slava?

RussianProspects.com is reporting that the Sabres have extended a contract offer to 22-year old defenseman Vjacheslav Buravchikov (2005, 191st overall). The 6'1, 190-pound lefty collected four goals and 10 points this past season in the final year of his KHL deal. Russian Prospects feed:
Buffalo Sabres have once again extended an offer to the 22 year old Russian defenseman Vyacheslav Buravchikov (Buffalo Sabres). The club also reportedly offered the young defenseman an offer last summer, but at the time he was still under contract with HC Ak Bars. That contract is now over and Buravchikov is a free agent who is able to come to North America. Buravchikov has recently enjoyed several strong seasons in Russia with HC Ak Bars, this year earning the Gagarin Cup with his club.
The club's gesture likely marks the end of the road for free agent defensemen Mike Card, a 2004 pick who saw his past two seasons end due to concussions, and oft-injured Michael Funk.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Gragnani en route; Tyler keep your phone on

The Buffalo Sabres have recalled defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani from the Portland Pirates (AHL). In his second professional season, the 6'2 Quebec native has four goals and 26 assists and is +3. This is the second NHL call-up for Gragnani, and his first of the 2008-09 season. A puck moving defenseman drafted in the 3rd round in 2005 (PEI - QMJHL), Gragnani scored 14 goals and 52 total points for Rochester in 2007-08 while playing the majority of his shifts as a forward as the year wore on. In a two-game stint with Buffalo as a left wing, Gragnani was called for a pair of hooking minors. Allowed to focus on just one position this season, Gragnani has settled into a better defensive posture while excelling on the power play. Expect a better player with this visit. Buffalo was forced to make a call after Henrik Tallinder injured his shoulder in a mid-week loss at Tampa. The organizational depth is running on fumes with Andrej Sekera, Teppo Numminen, Mike Weber, and Mike Funk also banged up, and Mike Card ill. First-year man Mike Kostka is the only healthy contract on Portland's blueline at the moment. Aside from Kostka's availability, what would happen if another injury were to take place? I think there are two options to consider. The easy, financially responsible scenario is that, just like Gragnani and Nathan Paetsch, Mark Mancari has some two-way experience and it still shows in his game. Perhaps a hole could be patched on an emergency basis. The other, more intriguing emergency option would be to to call Tyler Myers out of Kelowna (WHL). Yes it is early, but those who don't think he's going to make a push to be in Buffalo next season after another eight months of development would benefit from a mid-season temperature check on his progress. The World Juniors is not the NHL, but his gold-medal showing was a solid step in the right direction, and a brief, well-managed call would be another confidence builder for the 12th overall pick last June. Heck, with a two-game swing through Alberta this week, it'd be a short, familiar trip for the 6'7-1/2 Calgary native.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Pirates lose; Kennedy on the mend

Mark Mancari put Portland up 1-0, but Hartford closed with three unanswered goals to beat the decimated Pirates, 3-1. The goal was Mancari's 17th on the season, with assists going to Marc-Andre Gragnani and Mathieu Darche. Jhonas Enroth made 27 stops in the loss. Add Tim Kennedy to the Pirates injury heap that already includes Mike Weber, Mike Funk, Dylan Hunter, Paul Baier, and Adam Dennis. Kennedy missed the game after having a number (7?) of teeth knocked out after taking a high stick from Gabe Gauthier in the Pirates Saturday loss to Manchester. Gauthier received a double minor on the play. Kennedy received oral surgery. With injuries and illness abound (Gerbe missed the contest due to sickness), Portland went to battle with just 16 skaters for the Monday afternoon tilt. The loss makes the Pirates 1-4 in their last five home games. The Rundown: Mancari: 1G, 4 SOG Gragnani: 1A, +1 Zagrapan: +1 Kostka: -1 Card: even Whitmore: 3 SOG Schutz: -2

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Monarchs come back to defeat Pirates

Jhonas Enroth made 32 saves including a stop on a penalty shot, but Manchester rode a trio of third period goals to edge the Pirates, 3-2. Mark Mancari blasted a slapper from inside the left point to notch his 16th goal of the year, while Tim Kennedy and Derek Whitmore picked up helpers in the loss. Enroth stopped Trevor Lewis with a pad save after throwing his stick to thwart a near-goal with :01 left in the second period. The stop held Portland's lead at 1-0 after two periods before the wheels came off in the third. Marc-Andre Gragnani, the Pirates top scoring defenseman with 28 points, missed the contest due to a flu bug. The Rundown: Mancari: 1G, +1, 4 SOG Kennedy: 1A, +1 Whitmore: 1A Gerbe: -2, 5 SOG Kostka: 2 SOG Schutz: 2 SOG Zagrapan: -2 Card: -2 Enroth: 32 saves, L

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Gerbe, Zagrapan lead Pirates past Providence

Nathan Gerbe scored twice, and Marek Zagrapan capped the come-from-behind effort with the game winning goal, his 13th of the year, as Portland defeated Providence, 5-3. Marc-Andre Gragnani added three assists from the back end to help pace the victors. Jhonas Enroth got the nod in net, making 37 saves to push the Pirates to their first road win in eight games. Portland played without the services of Tim Kennedy (hip), Mike Weber (leg), and Dylan Hunter (consussion symptoms). The Rundown: Gerbe: 2G, +2 Zagrapan: 1G, 1A, -2 Schutz: 1G, +3 Mancari: 2A, +1 Gragnani: 3A Card: 2PIM Whitmore: 1 SOG Kostka: +1 Enroth: 37 sabes, W

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Zagrapan the man in Pirates win

Marek Zagrapan continued to play his best hockey in three seasons, netting two goals and an assist as Portland downed Springfield, 5-2. The Slovakian center has points in 10 of his last 11 games, a stretch that has seen him rack up 14 of his 25 on the year. Nathan Gerbe added three assists to complement Mathieu Darche's four-point night. Jhonas Enroth made 31 saves to earn his 14th win of the season. Mike Weber (leg) and Tim Kennedy (upper body) sat out the win with day-to-day injuries. The Rundown: Zagrapan: 2G, 1A, +3 Gerbe: 3A, +2 Mancari: 1G, +1 Schutz: 1A, +1 Gragnani: +3 Card: +1 Hunter: -1 Kostka: +2 Whitmore: -1 Enroth: 31 saves, W

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Gerbe pots pair in Pirate loss

Nathan Gerbe scored a pair of goals, and Derek Whitmore added his fifth of the year as Portland stumbled against Lowell, 7-3. The goals give Gerbe a team-leading 17 on the year. With Adam Dennis done for the season (hip), Jhonas Enroth stopped 33 of 40 shots in his 12th consecutive start. Mike Card played his first game in nearly two months after missing time due to his third concussion in two seasons. The Rundown: Gerbe: 2G, +1, 6 SOG Whitmore: 1G, -1 Gragnani: 1A, +2, 5 SOG Zagrapan: 1A, 4 SOG Hunter: 1A, -1 Kostka: 1 SOG Card: -1 Kennedy: -1 Mancari: -1 Schutz: -2 Enroth: 33 saves, L

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Pirates streak ends with weekend losses

Portland's eight-game winning streak came to an end this weekend with Friday-Saturday losses to Providence and Hartford. On Friday, Felix Schutz and Derek Whitmore each scored a goal and was solid with 31 saves in the loss, while Nathan Gerbe added an assist for his 21st point of the year. The 5'6 Gerbe also had his first fighting major (vs. Vladimir Sobotka) since a game versus Merrimack in his sophomore year with Boston College. The Pirates were playing without leading scorer Mark Mancari, who was named the game's #3 star for Buffalo in the Sabres loss to Philadelphia. On Saturday, Mancari scored his first NHL goal in another Sabres loss to the Isles. The Rundown: Schutz: 1G, 1A, +2 Whitmore: 1G, 1A, +2 Gerbe: 1A, +1, 7 PIM Butler: +1 Funk: +1 Zagrapan: -1 Kennedy: -1 Gragnani: -1 Weber: 2 PIM Kostka: -1 Enroth: 31 saves The Pirates returned to action on Saturday, suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time this season with a 6-2 loss to Hartford. Mike Funk scored his first of the year, while Schutz added his fourth to give him points in five straight games. Gerbe picked up an assist to extend his point streak to eight. With the Pirates losing two straight for the first time this season, Tim Kennedy went pointless in back-to-back games for the first time as well. The Rundown: Schutz: 1G, -1 Funk: 1G Gragnani: 1A -1 Gerbe: 1A, -2, 4 SOG Zagrapan: +1 Butler: +1 Kennedy: -1 Weber: -2 Kostka: 2 SOG Whitmore: 1 SOG Dennis: 22 saves, 6 GA Mike Card (cut face) and Dylan Hunter (foot) remained sidelined for Portland.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Eight straight for the farm ship

Down on the farm, Tim Kennedy and Chris Butler each scored a goal and an assist as Portland won their eighth straight game, 4-2 over Hartford. Marek Zagrapan, Nathan Gerbe, and Mark Mancari added helpers for the Pirates, who scored three times on the power play and once into an empty net, while Adam Dennis made 34 saves to earn his sixth win. Mike Card sat the game out with a facial injury. The Rundown: Butler: 1G, 1A, +1 Kennedy: 1G, 1A, -1 Zagrapan: 1A Gerbe: 1A Mancari: 1A, -1 Funk: +1 Kostka: -1 Gragnani: -1 Weber: 1 SOG Schutz: 1 SOG Whitmore: even Dennis: 34 saves, W