After long pro journey, Burgdoerfer to make NHL debut

WASHINGTON - Erik Burgdoerfer's career has taken him from Bakersfield, Calif. to Oklahoma City, Okla. and back again. It took him back and forth between Hershey, Pa. and North Charleston, S.C. This season it took him to Rochester, and on Monday - finally - he'll represent his mother's hometown team in the Buffalo Sabres.
Burgdoerfer will follow Brendan Guhle as the second player in as many games to make his NHL debut on the back end for the Sabres when they play the Washington Capitals on Monday night. But unlike Guhle, who made his debut as a 19-year-old recall from junior hockey, Burgdoerfer has already played 480 professional games since 2010, including playoffs.
Burgdoerfer's mother, Jane, is a native of Western New York. When he received the call from Amerks coach Dan Lambert, Burgdoerfer admitted it was emotional.

"There were definitely certain points of my career where I thought this would never happen," Burgdoerfer said following an optional morning skate on Monday. "You've just got to believe in yourself and work hard. I couldn't be happier with the result here."
Burgdoerfer played a career-high 74 games with Hershey last season, the AHL affiliate for Washington. It was his first season without any time spent in the ECHL. When he arrived for training camp in Buffalo this season, he was given five preseason games to show he had what it takes to play at the next level.
"He's a guy I think who proved he can play at the NHL level in preseason. In preseason, we played with very similar lineups to what we've played with at times this season and he was a good, steady defender; he competed hard and was able to do it against NHL players," Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said.
"In talking with him throughout camp, he gained confidence with his exhibition games knowing that he can play in the National Hockey League."
Burgdoerfer's recall was made necessary by the absence of Taylor Fedun, who is day-to-day with a shoulder injury. Fedun was already filling in for Zach Bogosian, who has missed the last 15 games with an MCL sprain.
Burgdoerfer has tallied seven assists in 22 games for Rochester this season. He'll replace Fedun on the right side of a defensive pairing with Justin Falk.
"They gave me an opportunity and I'm thankful that I kind of ran with it," Burgdoerfer said. "Hopefully it goes as well here tonight as it did then."
Robin Lehner will start in net for the Sabres and will be opposed by Braden Holtby for the Capitals.
Coverage on Monday begins at 6:30 p.m. with the TOPS Pregame Show on MSG-B, or you can listen live on WGR 550. The puck drops between the Sabres and Capitals at 7 p.m.

Capitals focus: A familiar foe

The Capitals earned a 3-1 win over the Sabres when the two teams last met in Washington on Nov. 25. They've only managed to score three goals total in their three games since then, which include a pair of regulation losses to Toronto and the New York Islanders and, most recently, an overtime loss in Tampa Bay. Washington is 1-for-16 on the power play in that span.
"All I can speak to that is at times in my past, their power play's not going well and they still have good players and they still have pieces that make it a good power play," said Bylsma, who built a familiarity with the Capitals during his tenure as the coach of division rival Pittsburgh. "They're still an offensive team and have the pieces that make them an offensive team and they're a scary one in both regards at that."
After their meeting on Monday night, the Sabres and Capitals will conclude their season series at KeyBank Center on Friday.
"It's almost a mini three-game series, playing them on Friday again this week," Bylsma said. "I think the guys are well aware of what they do and they're eager to get back at them after having the loss last time."

Projected lineup

48 William Carrier - 90 Ryan O'Reilly - 21 Kyle Okposo
9 Evander Kane - 15 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
82 Marcus Foligno - 22 Johan Larsson - 12 Brian Gionta
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 27 Derek Grant - 26 Matt Moulson
29 Jake McCabe - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
45 Brendan Guhle - 6 Cody Franson
41 Justin Falk - 46 Erik Burgdoerfer
40 Robin Lehner
31 Anders Nilsson