Thomas Vanek News: Pro Sports Daily

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March 11

Buffalo News

columnist Jerry Sullivan

"Lindy Ruff gave Thomas Vanek a break from practice on Tuesday, giving Vanek two days off in a row. Ruff said Vanek was suffering from some undisclosed, nagging injury. They both called it a "maintenance" day. Well, if this is what happens when a Sabre goes in for maintenance, we should all line up outside HSBC Arena for some minor rehab. I'm thinking of bringing my car in for a quick look. And seeing how we've had a nice break in the weather, maybe the trainers could do some maintenance on my golf swing. Vanek scored his team-leading 20th goal midway through the second period to snap a 3-3 tie Wednesday night and lead the Sabres to their third straight victory, a 5-3 win over the Dallas ..."

Vanek's first goal of '10 keys comeback

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January 10

Buffalo News

"Thomas Vanek had been 0 for 2010 and that included no goals in the Buffalo Sabres' six-game winning streak. He finally got on the scoreboard in the new year at crunch time Saturday night. Vanek scored his 12th goal of the season midway through the third period to key a Buffalo comeback and added one of his team's three shootout tallies in the 4-3 loss to Colorado. Vanek retook the team lead in goals, snapping a five-way tie that Drew Stafford created with his goal in the second period. Stafford, Tim Connolly, Jason Pominville and Clarke MacArthur all have 11 goals. It's a long way from his 40-goal run of last season, but Vanek was happy to again make an impact. "It's always nice to ..."

Sitting is painful for injured Vanek

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December 22

Buffalo News

"Thomas Vanek has no plans to change the way he plays or the equipment he wears. His game-day philosophy, though, has been modified. An abdominal injury kept Vanek out of his second straight game Monday when the Buffalo Sabres visited Toronto. The left winger tested the ailment at the morning skate, twisting his torso and bouncing up and down, but he wasn't well enough to join the action in Air Canada Centre. "When I try to take off, it doesn't feel right, so we're going to keep working on it," Vanek said. "It's better than it was two days ago, so hopefully it keeps progressing." Vanek was struck in the midsection by teammate Tyler Myers' shot against Toronto last Friday night and played ..."

Ailing Vanek takes a seat; Kaleta returns

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December 20

Buffalo News

"Patrick Kaleta was back but Thomas Vanek was out for the Buffalo Sabres as they fell in a shootout to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1, on Saturday night in HSBC Arena. Kaleta returned to the lineup after missing Friday's game against Toronto due to the vicious check he took from Jarkko Ruutu on Wednesday in Ottawa. Vanek, who scored the final goal in Friday's 5-2 victory, sat out with an abdominal injury. Coach Lindy Ruff said he hasn't been happy with Vanek's skating in the last couple of games and said the winger "hasn't been himself." Ruff had a long meeting with Vanek on Saturday morning to discuss the situation, which has developed since Vanek took a shot from Tyler Myers to the ..."

Sabres fail to cash in on their scoring chances

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November 28

Buffalo News

"Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and the Buffalo Sabres had their chances. They could be seen shaking their heads on the bench. Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals had their chances. They could be seen hugging, high-fiving and receiving ear-piercing standing ovations from their fans. Any guesses which team ended its winless streak Wednesday night? The Sabres failed to score for the second time this season, and their skid reached four games as the Capitals earned a 2-0 victory in Verizon Center. The Sabres are just 0-3-1 since a three-game winning streak. The Sabres had opportunities to score and get back to the right side of the win-loss ledger. But, as has been the case over the past 11 ..."

Wow, Sabres' Vanek looks off

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November 21

Buffalo News

"Thomas Vanek doesn't look quite right. Never an NHL speedster, the burst he had seems to have lessened. The "wow" moments have tailed off. His goal total has, too. The Buffalo Sabres' perennial leader is tied atop the team's chart, but he's well behind the pace of his usual 40. So a big question heading into tonight's visit by the Boston Bruins to HSBC Arena is what's up with Vanek? Is he hurt? "I'm OK," he said Thursday. "I'm all good." Is he moving his feet enough (which translated from hockey talk means is he skating hard and staying with the game action)? "You try to work hard in practice every day, which I think I've been doing pretty good this year, and hopefully it carries over [to ..."

Vanek practices but is doubtful for weekend

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October 16

Buffalo News

"Bad news: It looks doubtful the Sabres' winger plays tonight against the New York Islanders and his status is probably the same for Saturday's game against Atlanta. Vanek skated as normal with linemates Derek Roy and Drew Stafford through the team's 40-minute workout in the Amherst Pepsi Center. He looked OK to most observers but not to the one who counted the most. "A trained eye saw differently," said coach Lindy Ruff. "He was getting through practice pretty good but to be fullbore he's a little bit of a long shot." Vanek was hurt in the second period of Tuesday's 6-2 win over Detroit. The Sabres have called the injury only an upper-body ailment but it's believed to be to Vanek's ribs. ..."

Vanek could return by weekend

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October 15

Buffalo News

"Sabres winger Thomas Vanek could be back in the lineup this weekend after making drastic improvement Wednesday with an upper-body injury that initially was expected to sideline him for several weeks. Coach Lindy Ruff wasn't getting his hopes too high about his top goal scorer being available against the New York Islanders on Friday night but hinted that the veteran winger could be ready for the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday. Both games will be played at HSBC Arena. "Actually, it's good news," Ruff said after practice Wednesday. "He's doing remarkably well, which is good. I don't think it will be a very long period of time. I wouldn't even rule him out maybe for a game on the weekend for as ..."

Vanek could return for weekend

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October 14

ESPN.com

"The Buffalo Sabres got great news Wednesday when they discovered star winger Thomas Vanek was not as seriously injured as first believed. Head coach Lindy Ruff feared after Tuesday night's 6-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings that Vanek would be out for "weeks" with what had only been described as an "upper body injury." But that diagnosis apparently changed dramatically overnight. "He came today a lot better. He may be available to play on the weekend," Ruff told ESPN.com on Wednesday. "Maybe not Friday, but Saturday. Although I'm not ruling him out for Friday, either." That's potentially a huge break for the Sabres, who can ill afford to lose Vanek, a two-time 40-goal scorer, for a long ..."

Sabres score seven in preseason finale

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September 28

Buffalo News

"The Buffalo Sabres closed the preseason in exciting fashion Sunday night, rallying for a 7-6 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. Thomas Vanek's second goal of the game at 12:37 of the third broke a 5-5 tie, and Matt Ellis scored what proved to be the game-winner on a backhander 92 seconds later as the Sabres scored four times in the final 20 minutes to overcome a 4-3 deficit. West Seneca's Lee Stempniak scored twice for the Leafs, his second tying the game at 5 at 6:15 after South Buffalo's Tim Kennedy had given the Sabres their second lead of the game at 2:27 of the third. Kennedy's goal came 1:12 after Jochen Hecht's wrap-around shot tied it. Patrick Lalime ..."

Miller preserves Sabres' victory

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September 23

Buffalo News

"The Buffalo Sabres' regular-season opener is still two weeks away, but it's already Miller time. In his preseason debut, Sabres goalie Ryan Miller made 16 of his 42 saves in the third period as Buffalo rallied for a 3-1 triumph over the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday night. Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and Paul Gaustad scored third-period goals for Buffalo, which rebounded from Thursday's overtime loss to the Washington Capitals. Roy and Vanek scored 2:21 apart against Detroit starter Jimmy Howard (17 saves). Gaustad scored into an empty net with six seconds left after the Red Wings came close to tying things. Miller prevented that from happening, making five stops in the ..."

Vanek poised to become part of NHL's elite

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September 13

Buffalo News

"There's a difference between a star and a superstar. Thomas Vanek is a star. But since the first day he arrived in Buffalo, he's wanted to be a superstar. As Vanek began his fifth NHL season Saturday with the start of Sabres training camp, he made it clear he knows how to make the jump. He can't be just a 40-goal scorer. He has to be a lethal scorer on a team that makes the playoffs. That recipe will lift him to the elite status he craves and is primed to achieve. It will also make the Sabres a contender again. "Besides the goals, there's a lot more that comes with it," Vanek said in HSBC Arena. "What comes with that is taking your team to the next step and getting into the playoffs ..."