Sabres notebook
Rivet to miss two weeks, maybe more
Forget day to day or week to week. Buffalo Sabres captain Craig Rivet is on a “two-week to two-week” timetable for his return to the lineup because of what the veteran defenseman revealed Monday is a shoulder injury suffered Nov. 29 in Montreal.
Rivet sat out two games, then returned to play in the next three but said he tweaked the injury in each one. Rivet decided to sit out Friday’s loss to Toronto in HSBC Arena and Saturday’s win at New Jersey and the new schedule of rehabilitation was devised.
He is practicing with the team on a limited basis, staying away from “battle drills” that involve pushing and shoving.
“It’s something that I tried to play with and it was really limiting what I could do on the ice,” Rivet said. “It’s really affecting my game so we took a different game plan. The pain issue, you can get through. But when it starts making it that much more difficult on the ice, you have to take a step back. We’re going to try to rehabilitate it.”
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Rivet will be evaluated in two weeks and if doctors don’t feel he’s ready, he’ll be forced to wait another two weeks for a new checkup.
“He can’t play the way he wants to play,” Ruff said. “That’s his biggest frustration. He can’t play a physical game and I understand that. He doesn’t think he can be a true asset if he has to play a different style of game.”
Rivet missed three games earlier in the season after minor knee surgery and said that injury is not 100 percent but is progressing well. He has no goals and five assists in 21 games and is minus-6 on the season.
“It’s been a disappointing start for me right from the beginning,” he said, referring to the knee. “That’s a lot better than what it was when I started the season. I think it’s something that’s been fixed and will only get better so that’s a good sign. . . . I play a certain style. I want to be physical and I want to be aggressive and I can’t play right now so we need to take a step back.”
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Center Paul Gaustad took a puck to the chin on a deflected shot taken by assistant coach James Patrick during a drill Monday. Gaustad was going for precautionary X-rays but Ruff said he was expected to be OK. Defenseman Nathan Paetsch was hit in the mouth during the workout and lost a tooth.
Everyone on the roster was on the ice except for center Tim Connolly, who continues to improve while skating on his own.
Ruff said winger Patrick Kaleta (neck) could be cleared to play this week, although it’s uncertain if that could happen in time for Wednesday’s game.
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Both Sabres first-round picks last June have been selected to play for Canada in the upcoming world junior championships that begin Dec. 26 in Ottawa.
Tyler Myers, the 6-foot-7 defenseman who was selected 12th overall, and center Tyler Ennis, taken 26th with a pick acquired from San Jose for Brian Campbell, were both named to the roster Monday.
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