Sabres prospect Enroth shines in net
Season concludes for AHL Portland
The season is over for the Buffalo Sabres’ minor leaguers, who were silenced by one of the top goalie prospects in hockey. That goaltender, however, may get a little attention taken away by one of the Blue and Gold’s hopefuls.
Boston Bruins prospect Tuukka Rask lived up to the hype during a first-round playoff win over the Portland Pirates. Rask, rated as the 11th overall prospect and top goalie in the Hockey News’ annual “Future Watch,” held Portland to just one goal in each of the final four games. Providence clinched the 4-1 series win over the weekend, with Rask turning aside 142 of 148 shots in the five games for a .959 save percentage.
But Jhonas Enroth was far from overshadowed at the other end of the ice. Enroth, the Sabres’ second-round pick in 2006, stopped 157 of 167 shots. He registered a .940 save percentage and 2.27 goals-against average as Providence fired more than 33 shots per game.
“Rask was very good in the series,” Pirates coach Kevin Dineen told Portland reporters. “In saying that, I’ll take my guy in net anytime. He’s a big-game player, and he’s one we rode not only in the regular season, when he had as many minutes as anybody in the league, but in the playoffs he was an absolute horse for us.”
The problem for Portland was on offense. Three of the Pirates’ losses were 2-1 setbacks. They solved Rask just seven times in the five games.
The Sabres’ top hopefuls weren’t only quiet, they were silent. Nathan Gerbe had no points and a minus-2 rating. Tim Kennedy was held to one assist.
Only five Pirates had more than one point, led by the three-point outings of Marek Zagrapan (two goals, one assists) and Mark Mancari (one goal, two assists).
The Pirates’ power play went just 1 for 18, including nothing on the first 15 attempts.
“We obviously didn’t provide any goal support for [Enroth],” Dineen said. “It was close, but it wasn’t enough. We needed more goals generated to give him the support he needed and deserved.”
There were other bright spots besides Enroth during Portland’s first season as the Sabres’ affiliate.
Gerbe was named American Hockey League Rookie of the Year with 30 goals and 56 points in 57 games. Kennedy joined him on the All-Rookie team with a team-high 49 assists and 67 points.
The forwards are expected to push for spots on the Sabres’ opening night roster next season. Gerbe registered one assist in 10 games with Buffalo this season.
“I think the biggest thing for me is to relax and play my game up there, feel comfortable,” Gerbe told TheAHL.com. “There are obviously always things you need to work on, like strength and getting used to the speed of the game, but then again once you have a comfort level, you’ll be able to play your own game.
“I think the biggest adjustment from college to the pros is the amount of games and the mental battle that the game is. The most that we played in college, I think, was about 42 games. Here, you play 80 games, so it’s a lot different and the trips are a lot longer sometimes.
“Mentally, it’s a grind. I think I’ve adjusted pretty well, but some games you’re just tired and have to try to find some way to help the team.”
Like the parent club, the Pirates were inconsistent. They started with 10 wins in their first 13 games, then injuries and call-ups took a toll. But they closed with a 7-2-1 run to finish 39-31-10 and make the playoffs.
“I just like the way we kind of made a commitment to get into the playoffs and battled the last month of the season to get into the playoffs,” Dineen told the Portland Press Herald. “A lot of the young players got a feel for what it takes to be successful in the postseason.”
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