Visa problems delay Moore’s start with Sabres
Story tools:
Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff has already decided one of the two new players the team acquired Wednesday won’t be on the ice when the Phoenix Coyotes come to HSBC Arena tonight. Ruff is hoping the other will play but it’s no sure thing.
While the Sabres are fine with red-hot Patrick Lalime staying in goal and newcomer Mikael Tellqvist again serving as the backup, they certainly want Dominic Moore in the lineup. But Moore could not practice Thursday as the former Toronto Maple Leafs center and Sabres officials worked to iron out some visa issues.
Moore said he was confident they would be taken care of but Ruff was taking a more cautious approach.
“I have a concern until we get his visa,” said Ruff. “When it’s here, I won’t be concerned.”
Most of these matters need 24 hours or so to get cleared up and since the trade wasn’t finalized until nearly 6 p. m. Wednesday, there wasn’t enough time for Moore to get all the paperwork done. It’s reasonable, however, to think it will happen in time for him to take today’s morning skate and play in the game.
So on that assumption, where might the 28-year-old fit in?
For starters, Ruff floated the idea Thursday that he might shift Derek Roy to wing and put Moore, a solid faceoff man, as his center. Moore should also see time on both special teams units.
“[Moore] has got a real good two-way game, very effective in power-play situations and effective as a penalty killer,” Ruff said. “I really like his five-on-five play. He’s got good speed, some net presence where he’s tenacious and likes to get around the paint . . . and he’s got a little bit of an edge to him which is good.”
Until he gets on the ice with his new team, Moore really had no idea how he might be used. His self-scouting report indicated he would match Ruff’s thoughts on forwards being able to play the game both ways.
“I pride myself on being a two-way player, bringing offensive energy in as well,” Moore said. “I take pride in my own end and that’s the philosophy of this team.”
Moore, who will wear No. 17, arrived in the third period Wednesday after driving down the QEW from Toronto, meeting his new teammates and coaches after the 5-1 win over Montreal.
“The last two times [the Leafs] played this team I came away saying, ‘That’s a tough team that will be tough to beat,’ ” Moore recalled. “When we got beat here, 5-0 [on Feb. 4], I thought that’s one of the best teams we played all year.”
Tellqvist, who is wearing No. 32, left the Coyotes in Boston and got here to serve as Lalime’s backup Wednesday (Jhonas Enroth has been returned to Portland). Ruff may have been tempted to use Tellqvist against the Coyotes but a more likely start might come Saturday in Ottawa.
“It’s exciting for me coming to get a chance to play for a team that’s making a playoff push,” said Tellqvist, 29. “In Phoenix, we fell off the wagon there [losing 12 of 15 heading into Thursday].”
Tellqvist spent plenty of time before and after practice Thursday in one-on-one instruction with goaltending coach Jim Corsi, learning some nuances of the HSBC boards and glass.
Lalime has a 1.73 goals-against average and .945 save percentage in four games replacing the injured Ryan Miller so Ruff may continue to ride his hot hand. But the games come fast and furious in March so Ruff will have to spot Tellqvist as well.
“There is no timetable on Ryan and nothing has changed on Ryan,” Ruff said. “If something had happened to Patrick in the meantime, we would have been in a real bad spot. [With Tellqvist], we really feel we have a guy we can put in the nets and win us games.”
“Being a backup in this league is not that easy,” Tellqvist said. “People might say that you play 15 or 20 games a year, it can’t be that hard. But you have to sit for two weeks and be ready all the time. Then the team depends on you to play well and get wins.”
