Craig Anderson has a lot to play for the rest of this season. Especially in the next 5½ weeks.
For the third time this season, Mittelstadt is out of the lineup trying to overcome the upper-body injury that's dogged him since it cropped up midway through the season opener in October.
The 40-year-old is the best goaltending option the Buffalo Sabres have at this point. And the two games he played on the team's West Coast trip just prior to the All-Star break were strong, especially when you consider he had not been in the crease since he was injured Nov. 2 in San Jose.
Anderson has a career milestone in play. And maybe even a chance to serve as insurance in the net for a playoff team if he shows he's healthy and stays marketable for the NHL trade deadline on March 21.
Anderson is 5-3 in eight games this year with a 2.62 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. That has him at 296 career wins and he's racing with Dallas' Braden Holtby (298) to become the 40th goalie in NHL history to reach 300.
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Anderson is currently tied with Pittsburgh GM and longtime Philadelphia goalie Ron Hextall at 296 and is five wins shy of tying former New York Rangers star Mike Richter (301) for fifth among American-born goalies. Former Sabres standout Ryan Miller is the all-time leader in that category at 391.
"I knew 300 has kind of been out there for a while," Anderson said after practice Wednesday in KeyBank Center. "I think it’s just staying in the moment, kind of letting the numbers take care of themselves. I think Richter’s the next American one, right, at 301? You've got to set goals for yourself to kind of keep yourself motivated and keep pushing yourself. That’s definitely one of them on a personal standpoint as far as trying to climb the standings of that."
Coach Don Granato said the Sabres are likely going with Dustin Tokarski in Thursday's game vs. Columbus here, with Anderson playing Sunday at Montreal. Both goalies will be busy next week as the Sabres have four more games.
Meanwhile, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was at practice again Wednesday but has been sent to Rochester to work his way back from a lower-body injury he suffered Jan. 11 against Tampa Bay. The Amerks started a stretch of seven games in 12 days Wednesday at home against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and open a three-game East swing Friday at Providence, so Luukkonen will have a chance to get plenty of work.
Granato said Anderson deserves the wide respect he has around the game and has said multiple times this season how fortunate the Sabres are to have him in their dressing room. By the same token, the coach has lamented how much Anderson was missed when he was away from the team with his neck injury.
"The guy has a love and passion for the game. He wouldn’t be playing (if he didn't)," Granato said. "He doesn’t need to play. He’s done and accomplished so much. But it’s just out of pure love for playing.
"You have to say, 'OK, what exactly is going on? Where have the injuries occurred? How have they occurred?' ... Those are the type of questions that I ask, and I've been thinking in my head," Adams said.
"Even coming back from the injury and jumping in the net ahead of time (when Michael Houser landed on the Covid protocol list) shows you that. He didn’t need to do any of that and he does it because he enjoys the game still. He enjoys the practices and the camaraderie in the locker room. By virtue of that love, he’s a great leader because he’s gained a lot of wisdom over the years."
The deadline presents opportunity for both the Sabres and Anderson, who has a home in Parkland, Fla., and could be some insurance for a team like his hometown Florida Panthers.
"He is a guy that adds a lot to our group and I’m excited for him," Granato said. "The hope is obviously that he stays healthy and if he stays healthy you can only be curious about ... what will transpire over the next six weeks for him and for us in that regard.”
Anderson has been in the NHL since 2003 and got the Ottawa Senators within a Game 7 loss in double overtime at Pittsburgh of getting to the 2017 Stanley Cup final. He knows all about what the next few weeks entail.
"I think you can’t worry about outside noise," Anderson said. "I think we have to internalize, keep the room closed and really look to each other to say, ‘Hey, something may happen, nothing may happen.’ I think it’s just continuing to grow as a group.
"The young guys, obviously the core guys, are going to be here potentially long-term and you want to create and instill good habits ... I think we've got the veteran guys to try to kind of set the standard there and say, ‘This is the process, let’s do it right.’ At the end of the day, more guys get taken care of and the team has success."
