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 ...

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

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

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

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

Zagrapan stays hot as Pirates fall to Devils

Marek Zagrapan potted a pair of goals to lead Portland in their 3-2 loss to Lowell. Nathan Gerbe, who was named a Planet USA starter for the AHL All-Star Game earlier in the day, assisted on both Zagrapan goals. Zagrapan raised his goal total to 10 on the year after seeing his seven game point streak snapped last week. Jhonas Enroth made his 11th straight start for the Pirates, stopping 36 shots in the loss. The Rundown: Zagrapan: 2G Gerbe: 2A Kennedy: 5 SOG Mancari: 1 SOG Gragnani: -1 Schutz: 2 SOG Kostka: 2 SOG Weber: 1 SOG Hunter: -2 Whitmore: -1 Enroth: 36 saves, L

Grags and Zags show up in loss

Marc-Andre Gragnani scored a goal and assist and Marek Zagrapan had a goal as Portland lost to Worcester, 3-2. The pair were the only Pirates in the "plus" column (+1). While on a two-man advantage, Gragnani whistled a shot past Taylor Dakers to tie the game 1-1 with less than a minute to go in the second period. Zagrapan scored his eighth of the year when he entered the zone, skated through a hit, then deked the goalie before slipping the puck into the open goal. The Rundown: Gragnani: 1G, 1A, +1 Zagrapan: 1G, +1 Mancari: 1A Kennedy: 2 SOG Hunter: -2, 2 PIM Kostka: 4 SOG Whitmore: 1 SOG Schutz: 1 SOG Weber: 1 SOG Enroth: 31 saves, L

Pirates open up a can on Worcester

Portland erupted for a Sunday touchdown in their 7-1 drubbing of Worcester in the front end of a home-and-home with the Sharks. Dylan Hunter had a goal and two assists for the Pirates, while Jhonas Enroth made 32 saves to earn his 11th win of the season. Derek Whitmore chipped in with two assists, while Marek Zagrapan, Felix Schutz, and Marc-Andre Gragnani all registered single helpers in the win. Tim Kennedy did not make it back to Portland in time after being returned by Buffalo earlier in the day. The Rundown: Hunter: 1G, 2A, +4 Whitmore: 2A, +3 Zagrapan: 1A, +1 Schutz: 1A Gragnani: 1A, +1 Weber: +2 Kostka: 2 SOG Mancari: +1, 4 SOG Enroth: 32 saves, W

Mancari, Zagrapan score as Pirates come up short

Mark Mancari and Marek Zagrapan scored for Portland in their 3-2 loss to Manchester. The goals brought the Pirates back after trailing 2-0, but the Monarchs secured the W with a Scott Parse tally with less than 4:00 to play. Portland was playing without Tim Kennedy, Chris Butler, and Nathan Gerbe (IR) who are all up with Buffalo. Mancari pounded a one-timer while on a 5-3 advantage with help from Felix Schutz and Marc-Andre Gragnani before executing a nice give-and-go with Zagrapan for the other Portland goal. Jhonas Enroth made 29 saves to move to 10-5-2 on the year. The Rundown: Mancari: 1G, 1A, 3 SOG Zagrapan: 1G, -1, 4 SOG Schutz: 1A Gragnani: 1A, -1, 3 SOG Kostka: -1 Whitmore: 3 SOG Weber: -2 Hunter: -1 Enroth: 29 saves

12/21-23 Recap: Buravchikov scores; Enroth with big night

Holiday catch-up. Vjacheslav Buravchikov scored a goal for Kazan in their 6-1 trouncing of Spartak Moscow on Tuesday. The goal was Buravchikov's second of the season and his sixth point to go along with a +1 in 29 games for the KHL's third place club. Kazan will wrap up their two-game Moscow swing with a Christmas day game with CSKA. In Tuesday DEL play, Philip Gogulla had three shots on goal in Cologne's 4-3 loss to Hamburg. Two of his best chances came midway through the third when Cologne started applying some late-game heat. Former Sabre Andy Delmore scored the overtime winner for the Freezers. On Sunday, Gogulla (2PIM) had two shots on goal in their 3-2 OT loss to Ingolstadt. Also on Sunday, the Pirates earned their first back-to-back wins since their eight-game winning streak ended on November 19th with a 3-2 victory over Worcester. Jhonas Enroth lead the charge with a season-high 41 saves, while Marek Zagrapan scored his third game-winning goal of the season. Mark Mancari added a pair of helpers for Portland to hit the 30 point plateau on the season. With Chris Butler earning praise from the Sabres coaching staff while on recall, Mike Weber finshed +3 while getting an assist for his third point in the last eight games. The Rundown: Zagrapan: GWG, +3, 4 SOG Mancari: 2A, +2 Kennedy: 1A, +2, 3 SOG Hunter: 1A Weber: 1A, +3, 2 PIM Schutz: +1 Gragnani: -1 Kostka: -1 Whitmore: 1 SOG Enroth: 41 saves, W

Pirates double up Providence

Dylan Hunter scored his first goal of the season and added an assist as Portland defeated Providence, 4-2. Marek Zagrapan added two assists on plays where he simply threw the puck towards the net for his third multi-point game of the season, while Derek Whitmore scored his fourth goal and dropped the gloves in the win. Felix Schutz had an assist for his first point in four games. Mark Mancari (-1) had a game-high nine shots on goal, but did not score. After a ten-game point streak that wrapped around his NHL call-up, the Pirates leading scorer has just one assist in his last five games. Portland's second leading scorer, Tim Kennedy, has no points in the same five-game stretch. Jhonas Enroth had to make just 18 saves to earn his ninth win of the season. The Rundown: Hunter: 1G, 1A, +2 Whitmore: 1G, +1, 3 SOG Zagrapan: 2A Schutz: 1A, +1 Weber: +2 Kennedy: 2 SOG Mancari: -1, 9 SOG Gragnani: even Kostka: -1 Enroth: 18 saves, W

Pirates drop third in a row

Portland ended a disappointing week with their third straight loss, 3-1 at Albany. Mike Kostka opened scoring with a power play goal, his third of the year, when his point shot was deflected at 5:41 of the first period. Marc-Andre Gragnani drew an assist on the play. Jhonas Enroth gave up two goals on 23 shots in the loss. The Rundown: Kostka: 1G Gragnani: 1A Butler: 5 SOG Kennedy: -1, 4 SOG Schutz: 2 SOG Mancari: 2 SOG Zagrapan: 1 SOG Weber: -1, 4 PIM Hunter: 2 PIM Whitmore: even Enroth: 21 Saves, L

Pirates lose to Baby Pens

Portland stumbled out of the gate, giving up three first period goals in a 5-1 loss at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Mark Mancari and Chris Butler assisted on Mathieu Darche's third period tally, but at that point the paint was already drying on the Pirates' second consecutive loss. Jhonas Enroth made 20 saves, dropping his record to 8-3-2. The Rundown: Butler: 1A, -2 Mancari: 1A, -2 Schutz: even Gragnani: -1 Kostka: -1 Kennedy: -2 Hunter: 1 SOG Weber: 5-for-fighting Whitmore: -1 Zagrapan: -1

Pirates update (12/7-12/12)

On Friday, Portland fell to Binghamton, 2-1. Matt Ellis scored the only Pirates goal, with Mike Weber getting an assist on the play. Adam Dennis made 26 saves for his fifth loss in his last six starts. The Rundown: Weber: 1A Schutz: +1, 4 SOG Kostka: 2 SOG Mancari: 1 SOG Gragnani: 1 SOG Kennedy: 1 SOG Butler: -1, 2 SOG Hunter: -1 Whitmore: -1, 3 SOG Zagrapan: -1, 3 SOG Dennis: 26 saves, L The Pirates fared better earlier in the week, taking a 4-3 shootout over Manchester on Tuesday. Mark Mancari and Tim Kennedy scored the Pirates goals in the shootout to ice the win. Marc-Andre Gragnani had pair of assists in regulation, while Mike Kostka, Felix Schutz, and Dylan Hunter all had single helpers in the win. Adam Dennis shut the door in relief of the Jhonas Enroth, who was pulled after making 17 saves through 40:00. The Rundown: Gragnani: 2A, +1 Kostka: 1A, +1 Hunter: 1A, +1 Schutz: 1A Butler: 5 SOG Mancari: 2 SOG Weber: 3 SOG, 4 PIM Kennedy: 2 SOG Whitmore: +1 Zagrapan: 2 PIM Dennis: 12 saves, W Enroth: 17 saves Last Sunday, Portland lost to Worcester, 4-2. Marek Zagrapan netted his fifth of the season when he tipped a Mancari blast on a second period power play. The assist put Mancari on the scoresheet in ten straight AHL contests going back to before his call to Buffalo. Adam Dennis made 26 saves in defeat, while old frined Claude Lemieux scored the second goal of his comeback attempt with the Sharks. The Rundown: Zagrapan: 1G Gragnani: 1A, -2 Kennedy: 1A, -1 Mancari: 1A, -1 Schutz: -2 Butler: -1 Weber: even Kostka: -2 Hunter: -1 Whitmore: 1 SOG Dennis: 26 saves, L Mike Funk did not play and will remain out indefintely after suffering his second concussion of the season thanks to a brutal boarding by Lowell's Anssi Salmela last weekend.

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.

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

Gerbe grabs 13th, Enroth stops 'em all in win

Nathan Gerbe and Derek Whitmore netted goals, and Jhonas Enroth made 23 saves for his second North American shutout as Portland defeated Manchester, 4-0. Whitmore found twine on a redirect early in the first period to put the Pirates up 1-0. Later, Felix Schutz fed a pass to Gerbe on a 2-1 break, who one-timed the puck past Jonathan Bernier for his 13th of the season. The win ends a five-game losing streak for the Pirates. The Rundown: Gerbe: 1G, +1, 7SOG Whitmore: 1G, +1 Schutz: 1A, +2 Zagrapan: 1A, +1 Gragnani: +3 Kostka: +2 Butler: +2 Weber: 2 PIM Hunter: 1SOG Kennedy: 1 SOG Funk: 1A, +1 Enroth: 23 saves, SO

Mancari effect hits five on farm

On Saturday, Portland came up empty for the fifth straight game without leading scorer Mark Mancari with a 5-1 loss to Lowell. Derek Whitmore assisted on the lone Pirates goal, while Jhonas Enroth made 13 saves after Adam Dennis was pulled after allowing three goals on nine shots in the first period. Devils goalie Jeff Frazee made 40 saves for the win, while Niklas Bergfors scored two goals and an assist. The Rundown: Whitmore: 1A, -1 Gerbe: -1, 4SOG Kennedy: -1, 4SOG Gragnani: -1, 3SOG Zagrapan: -1, 3SOG Weber: 2PIM Funk: 2PIM Kostka: 2SOG Hunter: 2SOG Schutz: -2 Butler: -3 Dennis: 3GA, 20:00, L Enroth: 13 saves The Pirates held an eight-game winning streak at the time of Mancari's call-up on November 21st.

Kostka, Schutz steer ship in loss

Mike Kostka scored two goals, and Felix Schutz scored a goal and an assist as Portland lost to Worcester, 4-3. The goals were Kostka's first as a professional. With Mark Mancari in Buffalo, Schutz has stepped up with three goals in as many games. Jhonas Enroth made 26 saves in the loss, while Nathan Gerbe saw his eight-game point streak snapped. The Rundown: Kostka: 2G, +1, 5 SOG Schutz: 1G, 1A, -1 Whitmore: 1A +1 Zagrapan: 3 SOG Weber: -1 Kennedy: -1 Gragnani: -1 Gerbe: -1 Butler: -2, 2 PIM Funk: -2 Enroth: 26 saves, L