Sabre Captain Works Out For First Time In Months
It was easy to pick out Pat LaFontaine on the ice at Marine Midland Arena Thursday. He was the guy wearing the red sweater and the big smile.
LaFontaine practiced with the Buffalo Sabres for the first since he left the lineup Nov. 7 with post-concussion syndrome.
The Sabres captain and leading scorer last season took part only in non-contact drills and still doesn’t know when, or if, he’ll be back in the Buffalo lineup. But he clearly enjoyed skating with his team.
“There was a point when I never even thought I could go out there and skate like that with the guys,” LaFontaine said. “It’s been a process; it’s been a progression. I guess this is the next step, and it sure feels good.”
LaFontaine was knocked unconscious by Francis Leroux 73 seconds into a game against Pittsburgh on Oct. 17. The 32-year-old returned to the lineup for a few games but has since been out indefinitely.
Lottery date set
The NHL draft lottery to determine who gets the No. 1 overall pick will be held May 18.
The 10 teams that don’t make the playoffs - or the teams that have acquired their 1997 first-round draft choices - will each get a weighted number of chances to win the lottery.
The team that finishes last overall will have the greatest chance of winning (30 percent), with the next nine teams all having diminishing shots at the top pick (21 per cent, 15.1, 10.9, 8, 5.9, 4.2, 2.8, 1.6 and 0.5).
However, the club winning the draft drawing cannot move up more than four positions in the draft order. That means only the five worst teams can receive the first overall pick.
On the ice
At East Rutherford, N.J., Randy McKay had his first hat trick in eight NHL seasons and Martin Brodeur posted his sixth shutout as the streaking New Jersey Devils beat the Hartford Whalers 6-0.
The Devils stretched their overall record to 14-2-7 in their last 23 games.
In Boston, Jocelyn Thibault made 35 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 3-0.
At Tampa, Fla., Travis Green had two goals and Tommy Salo recorded his fifth shutout of the season as the New York Islanders beat Tampa Bay 3-0.