Paetsch helps Sabres dig deep on defense
The Buffalo Sabres' blue line has been as fluid as they come. One guy gets healthier, another gets sore, a third gets to finally play. The run of ailments and substitutions prohibits coach Lindy Ruff from even imagining who his top six would be if all his defensemen were available.
"We'll cross that bridge when it comes," Ruff said Tuesday. "It seems we haven't had them all healthy."
They won't tonight, either. The Sabres will visit the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center without Toni Lydman (groin) and Andrej Sekera (rib).
No one in Blue and Gold is worried. Nathan Paetsch filled in for Lydman during Saturday's 3-2 shootout victory over Tampa Bay, and he'll be back alongside Steve Montador against the Devils.
Paetsch, the Sabres' seventh defenseman the previous three seasons, is relishing both his job as a reserve and his chance to play his second game of the season.
"I'd like to think I'm just as important as anybody else in this organization," Paetsch said after practice in the Amherst Pepsi Center. "I think organizational depth is a big, big key to success when you have an 82-game schedule.
"There's going to be bumps and bruises to our team throughout the year, and we're going to need everybody. There's going to be a lot of guys in Portland who are probably going to play hockey games this year. Those games and those players, they are the little bump that gets you into the playoffs."
Paetsch gave the Sabres an offensive boost in his first outing. He tied for the team high with five shots and was quick to join the rush.
"I thought he played well," Ruff said. "He was in on some offensive opportunities."
Paetsch, scratched from the Sabres' first seven games, said he felt rusty early against the Lightning. It was hard to tell. He was skating fast enough to create a three-on-one midway through the second period, a chance that was thwarted when Tampa's Andrej Meszaros hauled down Paetsch and was penalized.
It showed the kind of offensive instincts that allow the Sabres to use Paetsch as a forward during some practices.
"That's what they want to see from me," Paetsch said. "I want to create those opportunities on the rush. That's something I can use to my advantage with my speed. I have the ability to get up and yet not be a problem on the defensive side. He wants the D-men getting up as much as possible, so that's somewhere I can flourish."
Paetsch and his fellow defenders may have to be more judicious tonight. Devils coach Jacques Lemaire, an assistant with Ruff on Canada's Olympic team, has studied the Buffalo blue-liners and hinted he's ready to counter.
"This is one of the teams that play the best," Lemaire told New Jersey reporters Tuesday. "When they don't step over the line, they're great. When they do, they're only good. Their defensemen are very involved. Sometimes they'll overdo it."
It seems overdoing it is precisely what will keep Lydman out for the second straight game and fifth time this season.
"Toni was doing pretty good [Monday] and probably pushed it a little too hard," Ruff said. "He felt sore, so we decided to keep him off [Tuesday]. That's normal for groins when you get to that point where you think you can almost go."
Sekera will miss his sixth straight contest since suffering the rib injury Oct. 10 in Nashville. He is getting closer to returning.
"There's a chance for the weekend," Ruff said.
If not, the Sabres believe they have the depth to keep winning anyway.
"It's nice to see Nathan step in and play well," Ruff said. "He's in a tough situation, but when he can step in and give us what he gave us, it's an important piece for us. We know he can play. We're just a little bit stacked up on D."
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