Sabres notebook
Peca feels good after return to Buffalo
Michael Peca still has a home in East Amherst and is building a new one in Clarence. And the former Sabres captain apparently is still right at home on the ice in HSBC Arena when he visits with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
For the second straight year, Peca tallied his first goal of the season and it turned into a game-winner at his former rink.
Peca's diving first-period tip-in of Fedor Tyutin's shot from the left point was the second of three Columbus goals in the opening 20 minutes Friday as the Blue Jackets rolled to their 6-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
"It's good for me and two years in a row having a game-winner here sure is a nice feeling," Peca said. "But it's more important that we got a win because we really need the points."
The Sabres' captain from 1997-2000, Peca is now 34 and played the 800th game of his career Nov. 3 against his former team, the New York Islanders.
He had eight goals and 26 assists in 65 games for Columbus last year as he signed as a free agent after showing some interest in returning to Buffalo. He was pretty set on returning to Columbus this season and signed another one-year deal.
"I kept the door open here with Columbus first and foremost," he said. "They had to get some ducks in a row first with trades and free agency but I'm happy here."
In training camp, in fact, Peca said he felt the Blue Jackets would be a 100-point team this season — a far-out prediction given the fact they've never made the playoffs in their seven seasons. Friday's win only put the Jackets at 8-7-2 and Peca said he contributed to part of the problem with a five-game suspension for abuse of an official during the season opener in Dallas.
"I put a lot of hard work into the offseason and preseason and then bang, you have to sit for five games," Peca said. "That's tough. I'm just trying to get back into things and I've been getting a lot of chances."
So why the confidence in a team that seemingly shouldn't engender much?
"I think our depth of four forward lines and defense," Peca said. "I like the goaltending and the coaching really made me feel like we're going places now. There's always that 'X' factor of us coming together as a team but we're finally healthy. I still think we should get to 100 points."
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff spoke fondly of Peca, the captain on Buffalo's 1999 team that got to the Stanley Cup finals.
"Michael was really good, a real good on-ice leader," Ruff said. "Not the loudest guy in the room but we just used him in every situation. He was a real powerful hitter back then for a smaller man. He made a point that if somebody took a liberty on our team, he went out looking for one of his devastating hits and he got plenty of them. He was a great example."
Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock, whose Dallas team beat Peca's Sabres in the '99 finals, is impressed by Peca's leadership skills.
"To me he's on a small list of a dying breed," Hitchcock said. "Players like him who are vocal leaders, speak their mind in the locker room, make players accountable and are really determined to make a team a team are a dying breed."
Peca has spent his career in hot hockey markets like Buffalo, Toronto and Edmonton and admitted you don't get that feeling in the Ohio capital, where Ohio State football is king.
The Blue Jackets are averaging just 13,642 fans in Nationwide Arena. And it's already been a tough year for the franchise with the death of beloved owner John McConnell in April.
"When you haven't established that winning tradition, it's hard to hold on to a consistent fan base," Peca said. "We have a good core of 12,000 strong or so but we realize it's important for us to really do what we can to become a great hockey team, get into the playoffs and really do proud of our late owner."
. . .
The Sabres may be without winger Ales Kotalik for a decent amount of time after he suffered what could be a severe hamstring injury while trying to hurdle a Columbus player with less than seven minutes left.
"Al doesn't look good," Ruff said. "That doesn't look too promising right now."
Kotalik is Buffalo's third-leading scorer with 10 points (five goals, five assists). But he has just one goal in his last 12 games.
. . .
Center Tim Connolly did not take the morning skate but did play after bruising his chest on a tough open-ice hit Wednesday.
Connolly assisted on Jason Pominville's second-period goal and has a four-game point streak (two goals, four assists).
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