By Mike Harrington
WASHINGTON -- Little by little, the future is making its way from Rochester to Buffalo. One of the Sabres' top prospects gets the chance for his NHL debut tonight.
With Andrej Sekera still banged up after Saturday's loss to Ottawa, Mark Pysyk has been recalled by the Sabres and will wear No. 53 tonight in Verizon Center against the Capitals.
Pysyk, 21, was Buffalo's first-round pick in 2010. The 6-foot-1, 188-pounder had four goals, 14 asissts and a plus-8 rating (tied with Kevin Porter for the team high) in 57 games with the Amerks. He was in Toronto and played in Saturday night's loss to the Marlies when he got the word.
"It was a tough game," Pysyk said. "We didn't play the way we wanted to but the night turned around once I got the news. I had no idea, no expectations. You hope for the best but I had really no idea. I was just doing my job, putting all my focus in there."
"Just a real smart defenseman who skates really well," said interim coach Ron Rolston. "Good puck mover, good defender, he's got a complete game. He really keeps the game easy on himself. He's real efficient. This will be his third game on three nights here so making sure he controls his anxiety and plays the way he can."
Hear Pysyk's chat today with reporters below.
Mark Pysyk
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Mark Pysyk
