New York (WGR Sports Radio 550) – It’s two days short of a month since Colten Ellis was run over in Edmonton by Oilers forward David Tomasek. I didn’t think Tomasek did much to try to avoid Ellis, and he also elbowed him in the head.
The referees called Tomasek for goaltender interference, and 33 seconds later, Josh Doan scored on the power play to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead.
It was then that Ellis left the crease and headed to the dressing room.
Ellis said Tuesday he did not leave the ice on his own, as the NHL concussion spotter sent him off the ice. The 25-year-old went into concussion protocol and hasn’t played since.
As far as what Ellis thinks of the hit, he does not think it was dirty.
“I don’t think there was any intent there. I think he’s just trying to take the puck hard to the net,” said Ellis following practice.
All indications point to Ellis getting the net Thursday in New York against the Rangers.
As far as him shaking off the concussion, he said he was done with it pretty quickly.
“When something like that happens, it’s really disappointing,” Ellis admitted. “The first few days of it, it was just kind of standard, with concussion protocol. And then once I was a week into it, I started feeling really good. I only missed a couple of days on the ice, so we were able to do little things and build it up again.”
This is Ellis’ first NHL season, and he’s had time in-between starts a couple of times. Buffalo claimed him off waivers from the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 6, but he didn’t get into a game until Oct. 22, which was 16 days, plus the time he had been idle in St. Louis.
The off time didn’t affect him, as he won his NHL debut, stopping 29-of-31 shots against the Detroit Red Wings.
He then went from that start until Nov. 12, which is three full weeks. That one didn’t go so well, as he surrendered four goals on 36 shots in Utah to the Mammoth.
In November Ellis went 10 days in-between appearances, and that was another good start as he was stellar in an upset win over the Wild in Minnesota, stopping 22-of-24 pucks.
When he hits the ice in New York, it’ll be one day short of a month. With that kind of experience behind him, he knows what to do to stay ready.
“I try to work hard and work on my game, and I approach it the same way I would as if I was playing,” Ellis said. “You’ve got to be ready when your name is called, and for the last month, I’ve tried to do that every day.”
In the game he left in Edmonton, Ellis played 19:01 and stopped all six shots he faced. Before that, he had two excellent starts and two pretty bad starts.
In Philadelphia, Ellis surrendered five goals to the Flyers on 35 shots faced. Then came the Minnesota game, and then back at home, the Calgary Flames lit him up for six goals on 35 shots. The in a home game against the Oilers, he only allowed one goal on 33 shots.
Overall this season, Ellis is 4-3-0 with a 3.25 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage.
Being a rookie, Ellis has had the opportunity to have a veteran goalie with him in Alex Lyon. He says that has been invaluable to him.
“It’s the same for both [Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen]. They’ve both been really good since I came in, and they’re really good for having those conversations where I’m asking different questions about different scenarios,” Ellis said. “They both have been in the league for many years now, and have seen a lot of stuff.
“I just get to pick their brain, and to have those conversations on a daily basis is definitely really helpful to me.”
This is Ellis’ first trip to Madison Square Garden, and he can’t wait to play in such an iconic place.
“It’ll be a pretty cool experience,” he said. “I’ve heard nothing but great things about any event they put on there for Rangers games, and how loud the crowd is. So looking forward to that.”
After Wednesday’s action, the Sabres remain in the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card position with a points percentage of .585. The Pittsburgh Penguins have the first Wild Card spot at .598.
In the Atlantic Division, the Detroit Red Wings are third at .614.