BOSTON — All Linus Omark wants is a chance to show he belongs in the NHL. He’s thrilled Buffalo will give it to him.
“I was so excited to get a chance here in the NHL and come to a new organization,” said Omark, who was acquired from Edmonton on Thursday and made his Sabres debut Saturday against Boston. “From the beginning when I signed there, I wanted to play in the NHL. It’s really tough. They have really good forwards in the top six there, and I never really got the chance this year. I’m glad I ended up here.”
The Sabres worked Omark in gradually against the Bruins, starting him on the fourth line. He shouldn’t expect to stay there after putting up 14 goals and 29 points in 29 games with the Oilers’ minor-league club.
“I’ve been going pretty good this season,” he said in TD Garden. “It’s another step to this league, but I got some confidence playing down there. Hopefully, I can bring it here, too.”
Wearing No. 17, Omark hopes to continue the trend of excelling at his stops. He led the Swiss league in assists last season.
The 26-year-old has obvious offensive talent and a flair for making individual plays. The Sabres’ Matt D’Agostini quickly made it clear that the newcomer will need to put the team first by taking care of the puck.
“D’Agostini said to him yesterday, ‘You can do all the fancy stuff you want, but make sure you get it in,’ ” coach Ted Nolan said. “We want to make sure we play a simple game. We’re not in an individual contest here. We’re in a hockey game.
“Right now we’re playing much better, so to break up some combinations just to squeeze him in would be difficult. We’ll keep him with the so-called fourth line right now, and we’ll see how he goes when we give him some minutes. As we move forward here, we’ll see how it all adjusts.”
Omark joined the Sabres in Beantown and played without having ever skated with his teammates. Because the Celtics played in the Garden on Saturday afternoon, the Sabres didn’t have a morning skate. Still, he already felt comfortable with the team after going to dinner with Swedish countrymen Jhonas Enroth and Henrik Tallinder.
“It’s nice to know two guys right away when you come to a new team,” said Omark, who has one primary goal. “That I can play in this league and play good.”
...
Aside from Omark stepping into the lineup for injured center Cody Hodgson, there were no other roster moves. Enforcer John Scott was scratched for the third straight game. Chad Ruhwedel also sat.
...
Key injuries continue to pile up in Rochester. The Amerks announced Saturday that Mike Zigomanis will be out indefinitely.
Zigomanis was run over by Lake Erie’s Michael Tam on Friday, with Tam earning a charging major and a game misconduct. Zigomanis left the ice on his own and went to a Rochester hospital for evaluation. He is believed to have a neck injury.
The Amerks lost veteran Jamie Tardif earlier in the week to an upper-body injury. He will not join the team for its Switzerland tournament this week.
email: jvogl@buffnews.com
“I was so excited to get a chance here in the NHL and come to a new organization,” said Omark, who was acquired from Edmonton on Thursday and made his Sabres debut Saturday against Boston. “From the beginning when I signed there, I wanted to play in the NHL. It’s really tough. They have really good forwards in the top six there, and I never really got the chance this year. I’m glad I ended up here.”
The Sabres worked Omark in gradually against the Bruins, starting him on the fourth line. He shouldn’t expect to stay there after putting up 14 goals and 29 points in 29 games with the Oilers’ minor-league club.
“I’ve been going pretty good this season,” he said in TD Garden. “It’s another step to this league, but I got some confidence playing down there. Hopefully, I can bring it here, too.”
Wearing No. 17, Omark hopes to continue the trend of excelling at his stops. He led the Swiss league in assists last season.
The 26-year-old has obvious offensive talent and a flair for making individual plays. The Sabres’ Matt D’Agostini quickly made it clear that the newcomer will need to put the team first by taking care of the puck.
“D’Agostini said to him yesterday, ‘You can do all the fancy stuff you want, but make sure you get it in,’ ” coach Ted Nolan said. “We want to make sure we play a simple game. We’re not in an individual contest here. We’re in a hockey game.
“Right now we’re playing much better, so to break up some combinations just to squeeze him in would be difficult. We’ll keep him with the so-called fourth line right now, and we’ll see how he goes when we give him some minutes. As we move forward here, we’ll see how it all adjusts.”
Omark joined the Sabres in Beantown and played without having ever skated with his teammates. Because the Celtics played in the Garden on Saturday afternoon, the Sabres didn’t have a morning skate. Still, he already felt comfortable with the team after going to dinner with Swedish countrymen Jhonas Enroth and Henrik Tallinder.
“It’s nice to know two guys right away when you come to a new team,” said Omark, who has one primary goal. “That I can play in this league and play good.”
...
Aside from Omark stepping into the lineup for injured center Cody Hodgson, there were no other roster moves. Enforcer John Scott was scratched for the third straight game. Chad Ruhwedel also sat.
...
Key injuries continue to pile up in Rochester. The Amerks announced Saturday that Mike Zigomanis will be out indefinitely.
Zigomanis was run over by Lake Erie’s Michael Tam on Friday, with Tam earning a charging major and a game misconduct. Zigomanis left the ice on his own and went to a Rochester hospital for evaluation. He is believed to have a neck injury.
The Amerks lost veteran Jamie Tardif earlier in the week to an upper-body injury. He will not join the team for its Switzerland tournament this week.
email: jvogl@buffnews.com