Sabres Edge

Poll: Adam Mair and the Sabres

poll by twiigs.com

Peters a scratch against Sabres

NEWARK, N.J. -- Andrew Peters' first game against his former team will have to wait.

New Jersey coach Jacques Lemaire has elected not to dress Peters for tonight's game against the Buffalo Sabres in Prudential Center. Peters played 200 games for the Sabres before signing a two-year deal with the Devils in September.

"I'm disappointed when I don't play. I'm not angry," Peters said this morning. "You want to play every game, no more today than any other day, to be quite honest with you. All the games you sit you always want to be in but I don't look at this game any differently than any other game."

---John Vogl

Lydman sits out

SUNRISE, Fla. – The Sabres were without Toni Lydman today as the defenseman missed practice with a groin strain.

Lydman suffered the injury late in Wednesday’s 5-2 win over Florida. He is questionable for Saturday’s game in Tampa.

If Lydman can’t go, Nathan Paetsch would make his first start of the season.

–John Vogl

Around the boards

Lots of news to view in a skate around the league:

--A knee injury will keep Blackhawks forward Adam Burish on the shelf for six months.

--Just as Marian Gaborik made his debut, the Rangers learned that Sean Avery's knee injury may keep him out of the season opener.

--Ex-Sabre Mike Ryan is trying to crack the Hurricanes' lineup and not end up back in Albany of the AHL.

--Jamie Arniel, the 19-year-old nephew of ex-Sabres assistant Scott Arniel, is making a strong bid for a spot on the Bruins' roster.

--It's a major day in the history of the Islanders, whose future on Long Island might hang in the balance today. The team is in the midst of daylong zoning hearings at Hofstra University to get its controversial Lighthouse project off the ground and Newsday is live blogging the whole thing. The project includes a complete renovation of antiquated Nassau Coliseum. Meanwhile, the team is meeting the Kings in an exhibition game in Kansas City's Sprint Center, long rumored to be a potential site for the franchise to move to.

--Meanwhile, the folks in Kansas City aren't happy that John Tavares is not playing tonight. The crowd is only supposed to be in the 10,000 range and there's been plenty of discounted tickets available.

--Chris Neil settled an old score for the Senators with Steve Downie.

---Mike Harrington

Sabres' lineup and more on Max

Here's the Sabres' lineup for tonight's preseason game in Washington:

Forwards: Thomas Vanek, Tim Connolly, Drew Stafford, Jochen Hecht, Mike Grier, Daniel Paille, Paul Gaustad, Patrick Kaleta, Tim Kennedy, Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis, Felix Schutz, Jeff Cowan.

Defense: Chris Butler, Toni Lydman, Steve Montador, Henrik Tallinder, Andrej Sekera, Mike Weber and Tyler Myers.

Goal: Jhonas Enrorth, Patrick Lalime.

The Capitals, meanwhile, will be playing far more of their name players in their home opener than they did in Buffalo on Wednesday. All expected to play are Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Mike Green and Jose Theodore. None of them made the trip here.

Elsewhere in the NHL:

---Maxim Afinogenov makes his debut tonight for the Thrashers. He's skating with ex-Sabre Slava Kozlov and Todd White -- and coach John Anderson has been so impressed he pondered putting Afinogenov with Ilya Kovalchuk and Nik Antropov.

---Andrew Peters is looking for a spot in New Jersey and not thinking about the AHL.

---So far, so good for Theo Fleury in Calgary. The 41-year-old had a shootout winner last week and a goal and and assist in Sunday's win over the Panthers.

---Holdout RFA Brandon Dubinsky signed with the Rangers at a big raise. He got a two-year, $3.7 million deal, quite a jump from the $522,000 qualifying offer the team first gave him.

---The Coyotes sent East Amherst native and former Boston College player and Sabres prospect Andrew Orpik to San Antonio of the AHL.

---Mike Harrington

Max to get shot in Atlanta

Maxim Afinogenov with Ilya Kovalchuk? Could happen.The Atlanta Thrashers have brought in Afinogenov for a tryout so he can dipsy-doodle his way around Philips Arena and make nothing happen. Update: Just remembered Randy Cunneyworth is on the Atlanta staff. He was in the Buffalo organization as the coach at Rochester for nine years so he would know Afinogenov from training camps and such.

The Wild and Penguins are among those also believed to have kicked the can on Max.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Heatley trade tops big doings out of town

Other than Drew Stafford's appearance (without a contract), no major news of any consequence on the opening day of Sabres training camp but that's sure not the case elsewhere. Follow these links for some big happenings from Saturday:

---Dany Heatley finally got traded, getting his wish with a deal from the Senators to the Sharks for Jonathan Cheechoo, Milan Michalek and a second round draft pick. Said Sens GM Bryan Murray: "I did spend some time with him [Friday]. When I looked him in the eye I knew I had to trade him." How about Heatley on the wing with Joe Thornton in San Jose? That would make for one wild line.

---Alexander Ovechkin is calling a Stanley Cup for the Capitals. Asked where he thought the Caps would finish, Ovechkin said, "On top. On top of Pittsburgh, on top of everybody." Now the Caps certainly have to rate as a contender, but they're going to need better goaltending from Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov to get there.

---The Coyotes opened practice without Wayne Gretzky as coach. His contract status is uncertain because of the team's bankruptcy proceedings. Assistant Ulf Samuelsson ran practice in the absence of No. 99 (whose restaurant in Toronto, I may add, serves some pretty darn good cappeletti and garlic cheese baguette as I found out last week).

---Andrew Peters reported to Devils camp for a tryout. Said Peters: "I think [the Sabres] are going in a different direction. More skill, faster players with some grit. I guess they're not going to carry an enforcer. The writing was kind of on the wall last year when I only played 28 games."

---The Flames extended a tryout offer to 41-year-old former star Theo Fleury.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Make your call for Sabres Hall

The Sabres Hall of Fame Committee has named six nominees for the team's highest honor and will cut that list to a final four before deciding on its inductees in the next couple of weeks.

The list of six includes former players Dominik Hasek, Jim Lorentz, Alexander Mogilny and Rob Ray, current broadcaster Rick Jeanneret and former coach Joe Crozier. Lorentz and Ray, of course, have also served the team as broadcasters.

Dave Andreychuk and former PA announcer Milt Ellis were inducted last year. (Memo to Sabres Alumni group: Update your Web site).

If you were on the Sabres Hall Committee, make your choices at our poll. I would guess no more than three of the final four will be inducted.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

poll by twiigs.com

Grier re-signs with Sabres

Mike Grier is back with the Sabres, as the team just announced tonight a one-year deal with the veteran forward. Grier, a 13-year NHL veteran, played with the Sabres in the two years straddling the NHL lockout. He had seven goals and 16 assists in 2005-06, the year Buffalo made it to the Eastern Conference finals, and was viewed as one of the main locker room leaders.

Grier left that summer for San Jose on a three-year, $5.3 million deal and had some pretty uncomplimentary things to say about the organization on his way out the door about its commitment to winning. He had 10 goals and 13 assists for the Sharks last season.

Things have been pretty quiet in Sabreland for a month. You add yet another forward to the roster, especially with Drew Stafford still unsigned, and you wonder what deal must be next. For a team looking for leadership, taking a one-year chance on Grier seems like a good risk.

Thoughts?

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Photo: Mark Mulville / Buffalo News file (2005)

Patrick Kane arrested

At 1:15 p.m. Sunday, here is the lead to Aaron Besecker's story in The Buffalo News:

Chicago Blackhawk right winger and South Buffalo native Patrick Kane and a relative face robbery and other charges after allegedly assaulting a cab driver and failing to pay their fare after getting a ride from Chippewa Street early this morning.

Kane, 20, and James M. Kane, 21, were arrested about 5 a.m. on Eastwood Place, according to Buffalo police reports.

The pair allegedly punched the cab driver and grabbed money they had handed him after he told them he didn't have twenty cents in coins to give them their change, the report said.

Their fare was $13.80 and they handed the driver $15, according to a report.

What's your reaction?