The upper-body injury that sidelined Craig Anderson for nearly three months also cost him a well-deserved welcome back in the city he and his family called home for 10 of his 19 seasons in the NHL.
Anderson was still recovering when the Sabres faced the Senators in Ottawa last month and even if the 40-year-old goalie was able to return to the lineup, there were no fans in Canadian Tire Centre because of Covid-19 restrictions in Ontario.
There would be no roar of the crowd to accompany a tribute video or any pageantry to celebrate Anderson’s remarkable time in Ottawa. He won 202 regular-season games there from 2011-20 and led the Senators to the Eastern Conference finals in 2017.
“It was one of those things where it didn’t end up working out the way that we wanted it to,” Anderson said following practice Wednesday in KeyBank Center. “It did cross my mind and it would have been exciting, but at the same time, with everything that’s going on, with no fans, I’m not sure. It would have been just kind of another game.”
People are also reading…
Anderson departed from Ottawa in the fall of 2020, yet Thursday night in KeyBank Center will be the first time he will face his former Senators teammates. He joked that he expects plenty of friendly trash talk and even plans to respond with a few witty remarks.
But in the end, the location of the game takes some emotion out of a reunion that was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the injury that’s limited Anderson to only nine games with the Sabres.
“It’s no different than playing any other team,” said Anderson. “I think that’s the mindset. Obviously, there’s guys there that I played with and coaching staff, trainers, etc. That’s always fun to go see those guys, but at the end of the day, when the puck drops, you’re still competing. You’re still competitors. You’re still trying to win the game. Nothing changes from that standpoint. I’m sure there will be some chirps and what not from some guys, but you take it, and you see how the game goes. Go out and play hard. Play the right way.”
In Ottawa, Anderson received the starting opportunity that was ripped away from him elsewhere. Across 10 seasons, he amassed a .914 save percentage and 2.84 goals-against average. He finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting in 2012-13 after recording a league-best .941 save percentage in 24 games, and in 2017, he won the Masterton Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL player who exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Anderson took multiple leaves of absence that season while his wife, Nicholle, received treatment for a rare form of throat cancer. Meanwhile, he posted a 25-11-4 record in the regular season and a .922 save percentage during the Senators’ playoff run, which ended in Game 7 seven of the Eastern Conference finals against Pittsburgh.
The Senators will see a very familiar goalie in net. Despite the injury, Anderson has had an impressive season in Buffalo, totaling a .916 save percentage and 6-3 record. His 297 career wins are 40th all-time and only five American-born goalies have reached the 300-win plateau.
“Physically, I think we’re kind of getting to the point where we’re able to manage the condition of my injury, and I think we’re just kind of taking it day by day,” said Anderson. “A lot of time on the treatment table and just trying to make sure everything stays calm. So far in the couple games I’ve played, it’s felt like it’s going in the right direction and there’s not any backlash.”
More time
Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt will not return to the lineup against the Senators, coach Don Granato confirmed after practice Wednesday. Mittelstadt, 23, missed the past four games for what Granato described as a build-up of fluid around the area in which the 2017 first-round draft choice had surgery in December.
Mittelstadt centered a line during practice Wednesday because Granato wanted to test him with a heavier workload.
“We wanted to give him a hard push today just to see how his body responds to it tomorrow, and we’ll communicate that with him now and tomorrow,” Granato said. “So, no chance in my mind that he’s in there tomorrow.”
Cozens fined
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Sabres center Dylan Cozens was fined $2,235.42, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, for cross-checking Brock Nelson in the back during the second period Tuesday night. Cozens was penalized for the hit, which occurred near the New York Islanders’ bench after the two players got tied up in Buffalo’s offensive zone.
Going home
Sabres prospects Owen Power and Devon Levi will return to the University of Michigan and Northeastern University, respectively, after Canada was eliminated by Sweden with a 2-0 loss in the Olympic quarterfinals Wednesday.
Power, a defenseman drafted first overall by Buffalo in July, had one assist and led Canada in ice time in each of its five tournament games. He skated 24:54 in his final game in Beijing. Levi, a 20-year-old goalie, did not appear in a game and did not dress for the loss to Sweden.
