Showing posts with label funk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label funk. Show all posts

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

Weber out after surgery; trade coming?

Portland defenseman Mike Weber is set to miss three weeks of action after getting his knee scoped earlier in the week. The leg was bothering the Pittsburgh native for quite some time, and could potentially force the Sabres into a trade with Andrej Sekera and Teppo Numminen injured, Craig Rivet still sore, and rookie Chris Butler already with Buffalo. The puck moving Marc-Andre Gragnani would be next on the call-up list, but Portland is already thin on the blueline with Mike Funk still shaking cobwebs from a concussion and Paul Baier out with a broken jaw. Nathan Gerbe could fill a roster spot as a forward, but that of course does little to alter the d-landscape. Currently seventh in the conference with a two-point lead over eighth-place Florida, the Sabres are about to embark on a six-game road trip with some holes on the blue. Per Lindy Ruff, Numminen will miss "some time" after taking a puck to the face in Saturday's win. It doesn't seem long term, but trade winds could be more of a reaction to Sekera's ankle injury. The Slovakian was logging monster minutes when healthy, and we're not too sure if Nathan Paetsch has enough in the tank to steady things in relief. Speaking of such a deal, The Toronto Sun states that league scuttlebut has Matthieu Schneider getting sent to Buffalo for the maligned Maxim Afinogenov.
The chatter is the Atlanta Thrashers are going to send veteran Mathieu Schneider to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for winger Maxim Afinogenov. Buffalo wants a blue-liner and hasn't been able to give away Afinogenov because no other team wants to pick up his $3.5-million salary ...

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

12/10 Recap: Brennan solid in win; Ennis heads east

T.J. Brennan (+3) had two assists, including a set-up on the game winner, as Montreal defeated the Q's top-club, Shawinigan, by a 4-1 score. Luke Adam (2 PIM) failed to hit the sheet for the fourth straight game as the Juniors take tail end of the home-and-home. Cedric-Lalonde McNicoll scored the lone Cataractes goal, extending his current point-streak to an alarming 21 games. In snowy Charlottetown, Jordon Southorn had an assist and his usual two hits for PEI in their 5-2 win over Halifax. The 6'2 defenseman is even with five points in his last three games. Also from the Q, Jean-Simon Allard was +1 but failed to register for the fourth straight game as Quebec stomped on Chicoutimi, 7-1. The 6'3, 193-pounder has been hot and cold all season long after getting traded to the Remparts at the Q draft last offseason, and he'll need to be a more consistent presence moving forward. The Sags' Jacob Lagacé posted a -5 in the loss, a season low amongst all of the Sabres prospects. In Michigan, Nick Crawford was -1 as Saginaw lost at Plymouth, 3-2. The minus took place when Crawford got beat on a play by Chris Terry, who skated past the sixth-rounder and bested Edward Pasquale from 20-feet out for the Whalers second goal of the night, and his 14th of the season. And now, catch-up time. On Monday, Tyler Ennis (-1) had an assist as Medicine Hat fell to Lethbridge, 4-3. The game was the final tune-up for the left wing before skating in Team Canada's camp beginning Thursday. In the DEL, Philip Gogulla was -1 with three shots on goal as Cologne dropped a shootout to Iserlohn, 3-2. The winger did not make the Sharks shooter list. In Tuesday evening action, Jean-Simon Allard was quiet for his third straight game, finishing -1 as Quebec was shutout by Baie-Comeau, 4-0. Over in Sweden, Dennis Persson dressed but did not get a shift as Timra lost to SSK, 3-2.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Funk injury mars Pirates victory

Marek Zagrapan scored his fourth goal of the season, and Tim Kennedy had three assists as Portland rode a Colton Fretter hat trick past Lowell, 5-2. Kennedy now has points in two consecutive nights after a six-game slumber. Jhonas Enroth made 31 saves for his eight win of the season, while Mark Mancari picked up an assist in his first game back from Buffalo. The game became secondary at 10:29 of the third period when Mike Funk was taken off the ice on a stretcher after getting checked from behind by the Devils' Anssi Salmela. He'll be hospitalized overnight with his injury status yet to be determined. The Rundown: Zagrapan: 1G, -1 Kennedy: 3A, -1 Mancari: 1A Butler: 2A, -1 Schutz: +1, 4 SOG Gragnani: 1 SOG Kostka: 1 SOG Whitmore: -1 Weber: 1A, 2 PIM Hunter: 2 PIM Funk: -1, injured Enroth: 31 saves, W

Gerbe gets 14th as Pirates slip

Nathan Gerbe scored his 14th goal of the season, and Marc-Andre Gragnani forced OT by one-timing a nice backhand pass from Felix Schutz while shorthanded as Portland fell to Springfield, 3-2 in a shootout. Jhonas Enroth made 30 saves, while Gerbe was only successful Pirate in the breakway drill. The Rundown: Gerbe: 1G, 4 SOG Gragnani: 1G, +1 Schutz: 1A, +1 Butler: 1A Kennedy: 1A Kostka: +1 Funk: even Weber: -1, 2 PIM Zagrapan: -1 Whitmore: 2 PIM Hunter: 2 PIM Enroth: 2 GA, 30 saves, SOL