Injuries to keep Bills’ receiver, linebacker out indefinitely
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills starting receiver Jordan Matthews and starting linebacker Ramon Humber are out indefinitely because of broken thumbs for a team already lacking experienced depth.
Coach Sean McDermott says the two will require surgery after both were hurt in a 23-17 win at Atlanta on Sunday.
Buffalo’s receiver depth was already thin after Sammy Watkins was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in August, and Anquan Boldin retired two weeks after signing with the team in training camp.
Matthews was acquired in a trade with Philadelphia in August. The fourth-year player leads Bills receivers with 10 catches for 162 yards, and scored his first touchdown of the season Sunday.
Bills receiver Walt Powell is eligible to return after serving his fourgame NFL suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances.
Humber entered Week 4 with a team-leading 29 tackles, and also had an interception while starting at outside linebacker.
McDermott says backup safety Colt Anderson will also require surgery for an injury to his forearm.
The injuries tempered the growing buzz Buffalo (3-1) has generated in getting off to a better than expected start, which has the Bills leading the AFC East.
Buffalo plays at Cincinnati (1-3) on Sunday before entering its bye week. The Associated Press
Success carries the weight of expectations.
That’s the case for the Ottawa Senators after they fell short of advancing to the Stanley Cup final by one goal last spring and they’re ready to accept that reality.
After losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime in Game 7 of the East final, the Senators open the season Thursday night against the Washington Capitals at the Canadian Tire Centre with a hope the club can find a way to make the next step.
Yes, the Senators pretty much surprised everybody but themselves with the trip they made through the playoffs last spring, but they haven’t made a whole lot of changes in the off-season and the players are ready for the challenge.
“(Expectations) should be higher,” said Ottawa defenceman Mark Borowiecki. “When you come one goal away from the Stanley Cup final you don’t want to get complacent here and try to sit on that and just be content and think that this year is a write-off.
“We went a long way, but we still want to build on it and we still want to go further and reach our ultimate goal. There are expectations, for sure, but you also don’t want to catch yourself looking too far forward because then you let things slip away.”
There is no question, the Senators caught lightning in a bottle last spring, thestarsalignedandundercoachGuy Boucher they played a disciplined systemthatallowedthemtohavesuccess. They weren’t given nearly enough credit for the progress they made and the additions by GM Pierre Dorion at the deadline.
This time around, though, they aren’t going to catch anybody by surprise so they can’t let the expectations wear them down.
Forwards
With the exception of the loss of Clarke MacArthur, the Senators haven’t made many changes. Up
Players to watch
Unsung hero: Cody Ceci Sleeper: Jean-Gabriel Pageau Declining: Chris Wideman Rookie to watch: Thomas Chabot
Past three seasons
2016-17: 44-28-10, Lost in Round 3 2015-16: 38-35-3, Missed playoffs 2014-15: 43-26-13, Lost in Round 1
front, the top six will consist of Zack Smith, Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Derick Brassard and Bobby Ryan. They carried much of the load last season and they need to do the bulk of the scoring. That’s just the reality.
Defence
Erik Karlsson is one of the NHL’s best players and he leads by example. The Senators need him healthy as quickly as possible because this team isn’t the same without him. The loss of Marc Methot in the expansion draft is a blow, but the signing of veteran Johnny Oduya should help soften that a bit. The Senators are solid on defence and solid play is what they need from this unit every night.
Goaltending
Signed to a two-year extension before camp, Craig Anderson has emerged as one of the NHL’s top goalies while backup Mike Condon has been an excellent addition since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fifth-round pick last October. The Senators rely a lot on their goaltenders on many nights and both have to continue to make the big saves at big times for Ottawa to win.
Coaching
Boucher heads into his second season behind the bench and he’s going to have a tough time repeating what the club did last spring. But, that’s the challenge, right? He got everybody — including Karlsson — to buy into the program and if they do again this year then the Senators will be tough to stop. Boucher pushed all the right buttons last spring and that trend needs to continue.
Bottom line
Dorion has a solid roster that has a chance to make some noise in the post-season. The challenge: To get back there because teams in the East have improved.