Sabres notebook
Emery meshing well with Flyers
Ray Emery's past is never far away. That was evident Friday morning, when the goaltender was playfully debating the merits of Montreal with Philadelphia Flyers teammate Ian Laperriere.
Emery was telling the Montreal native he's a fan of the city, but its residents are staunch isolationists. The goalie said he once asked for directions in French yet still was ignored by the Francophones.
"Were you asking directions in your white Hummer?" Laperriere retorted.
One of Emery's many transgressions while playing for the Ottawa Senators involved the luxury vehicle. He missed a team flight during a playoff series because he was in an accident on the way to the airport. He was filmed signing autographs for folks who stopped to rubberneck.
Some people might expect Emery to snap at his teammate's remark, given the history of on-ice fights and surliness. Instead, the goalie grinned. It appears there's a new Emery, who made 28 saves Friday night in a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
"He's a good team guy," Flyers coach John Stevens said in HSBC Arena. "Some guys are loners in that position. He loves being around his team. I didn't know that about him before he came here. You kind of maybe would have assumed the opposite based on the stories you heard out of Ottawa, but it's not."
Though Stevens didn't know everything about Emery, he had a feeling the goalie would fit in with Philly. After being run out of Ottawa, Emery was forced to spend a season in Russia. He played great, going 22-8 with a 2.12 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. The year set him up for a return to North America, and the Flyers were waiting.
"We've felt good about Ray all along," Stevens said. "Ray has addressed all the issues that happened in the past. He's taken responsibility, hasn't blamed anybody but himself.
"I spent quite a bit of time with him over the summer and got to know him quite a bit. I think coaches trust their instincts. My instincts were good on him right away. I felt good about him. I felt he was a good team guy. I felt he was a genuine guy. He was anxious to come to Philadelphia, and we were anxious to get him there. It was a good fit."
Though some might look at a season in Russia as a year in exile, the 27-year-old said it wasn't as bad as expected.
"I thought it was going to be kind of tough, but Moscow is a world-class city. I was right in the thick of things there, so it was nice," Emery said. "I just wanted to play. I signed a two-year contract, so I thought I was going to be there for a couple years. I had a different opportunity [with Philadelphia], so I took it."
The Flyers are tying their Stanley Cup hopes to Emery's play in the crease. So far, he's been fine. He entered Friday with a 7-3-1 record, 2.42 GAA and .916 save percentage.
"He never wants to get scored against, no matter what you're doing," Stevens said.
"You combine his talent with his work ethic and his competitiveness, you get a pretty good goalie."
Ryan Miller started against the Flyers, but there's a chance Jhonas Enroth could inherit the Sabres' crease Saturday night when they visit the Boston Bruins. The 21-year-old rookie has never played an NHL game, but coach Lindy Ruff said he's confident Enroth will be fine when the debut comes.
The reason behind Ruff's conviction? He looked at Enroth's numbers from last season in Portland — 26 wins, 2.75 GAA and .914 save percentage — and saw they were similar to two young goalies succeeding in the league. Washington's Semyon Varlamov had .916 in the minors and Los Angeles' Jonathan Quick put up a 2.68 GAA.
"There's guys that he played against in the American League that are playing in this league," Ruff said. "You look at the guy in L.A. You look at the guy in Washington. His numbers were as good as those guys, and those guys are playing in the league. There's no reason he can't step in and play well."
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