DETROIT – The hit seen around the hockey world Thursday night had Buffalo Sabres goalie Aaron Dell hearing from people he hadn’t spoken to in some time.
With the Sabres leading 2-1 late in the second period at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Dell left his crease to try to play the puck before Predators winger Eeli Tolvanen could gain possession. Dell won the foot race to the left boards but instead of trying to clear it behind his own net, he touched the puck, spun to his right and leveled Tolvanen with a body check that made highlight-reel shows across North America.
“I was hoping he was going to peel off, but he decided he was going to keep coming at me, so I just stepped into him,” Dell said with a sheepish grin.
Aaron Dell gets charged with interference. You don’t see that everyday pic.twitter.com/M3bYnkhFKr
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) January 14, 2022
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Dell, 32, was penalized for the hit, a development that didn’t surprise him, and the body check angered the Predators. He joked following practice Friday in Little Caesars Arena that Nashville got revenge, referring to a play in the third period when he was bulldozed by Nashville’s Tanner Jeannot on a drive to the net.
It was Dell who got the last word, though. Appearing in his eighth game of the season for Buffalo, Dell helped the Sabres snap a six-game skid with 29 saves to beat the Predators 4-1 and earn his first NHL win of the season. He provided hope for the club after it lost two goalies to injury in its previous game – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Malcolm Subban – and likely earned another start when the Sabres play the Red Wings in Detroit on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Jeff Skinner silenced most of Bridgestone Arena with a power-play goal in the second period, Aaron Dell had his best game in net since joining the Buffalo Sabres and the club’s special teams pieced together one of their best performances of the season in a 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators.
“It’s huge,” said Dell. “Wins have been hard to come by this year. That was a huge one, especially against Nashville. They were on a good streak, and it was nice to get to stop that.”
Dell was the beneficiary of unquestionably the Sabres’ finest defensive performance in nearly a month, as all but one rebound was cleared from in front. Still, he played a significant role in Buffalo killing three of its four penalties and looked far more comfortable than he did during his previous stint with the Sabres this season.
The Sabres signed Dell to a one-year, $750,000 contract in July to provide stability in goal after Linus Ullmark bolted for Boston. However, Dell didn’t make the roster out of training camp because he was outplayed by Dustin Tokarski. Injury earned Dell a second opportunity in Buffalo, but he struggled to the tune of an .872 save percentage and 4.52 goals-against average in seven appearances.
Some of those difficult nights were the product of rust. Dell played only eight total games during the 2020-21 season, seven in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, and he wasn’t accustomed to such a light workload after appearing in 25 or more games for three consecutive seasons with the San Jose Sharks from 2017-20.
Coach Don Granato said his "inclination" is to start Dell on Thursday night when the Sabres hit the road to meet the Western Conference-leading Nashville Predators in Bridgestone Arena.
Dell went to Rochester and performed well behind a young Amerks team, recording a .910 save percentage and 5-0 record.
“It was a funny penalty,” Sabres coach Granato said of Dell’s body check Thursday. “I love the aggression on his side. But he has struggled with us this year, Aaron. I was able to go see him in Rochester last week, last Friday. He looked like a different guy, and he worked to be that. So, it was great to see him win tonight. Earlier in the year, he didn’t look like himself. If we base it on what we saw tonight, he was very engaged tonight.”
The Sabres will need for that to continue, as well as the collective defensive effort that made Dell’s job easier. It was only Dell’s second win since Feb. 14, 2020, and while the hit garnered the most attention, his ability to beat a team that had won 12 of its previous 14 games is far more important for Buffalo.
“I just needed to gain some confidence back,” Dell said.
Reinforcements
Krebs' sole focus now is to earn a permanent spot with the Sabres, but the transition hasn’t been seamless on the ice.
Sabres centers Tage Thompson and Peyton Krebs produced the necessary negative tests to exit Covid-19 protocol Friday, and Thompson might be able to return to the lineup as soon as Saturday against the Red Wings (16-17-5), who are 1-4-2 in their last seven games.
Thompson, 24, went into Covid-19 protocol Monday and shouldn’t need multiple practices to join the Sabres. Krebs, on the other hand, entered protocol on Jan. 4, and will need more time to get into game shape.
“We can’t commit to him going in, but he hasn’t been out long enough, so there’s potential that he can be in the lineup,” Granato said of Thompson, who has 12 goals and 23 points in 34 games.
Amerks notes
Rochester coach Seth Appert announced Friday morning that forward Sean Malone will miss approximately six weeks after undergoing surgery to fix a lower-body injury.
Malone, a West Seneca native, was in Covid-19 protocol last month and hasn’t played in a game for the Amerks since Dec. 19. He has nine goals and 22 points in 23 games for Rochester this season.
Additionally, Appert said that defensemen Oskari Laaksonen and Josh Teves, and forward Brendan Warren entered Covid-19 protocol. Winger JJ Peterka also remains in protocol.
Moving up
Goalie Charles Williiams became the latest Canisius College alum to receive a promotion to the American Hockey League on Friday, when the 29-year-old was signed by Rochester to a professional tryout.
And the season keeps get better and better for Canisius goaltender Charles Williams. The senior transfer was named one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. He is the first player in Canisius history to be a finalist for the award given annually to the best player in college hockey. He is the third in Western New
Williams had a remarkable senior season with Canisius in 2016-17, recording a .943 save percentage and 1.82 goals-against average. He was a Mike Richter Award and Hobey Baker Award finalist. Williams is one of five Golden Griffins currently in the AHL, joining Ryan Schmelzer (Utica), Dylan McLaughlin (Rockford), Matt McLeod (Bakersfield) and Nick Hutchinson (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton).
Willliams has spent the past two seasons with Jacksonville of the ECHL, recording a .916 save percentage in 15 games this season.
"Charles was a really good college goalie, he's been an outstanding goalie in the east coast league," said Appert. "He's had a little bit of time in the American league, so we thought he was a really good addition for us."
