December 2, 2005
Need to Know:
There was a time, not long ago when Sabres forwad Tim Connolly might have wondered if he'd make it to 350 NHL games, a sort of milestone for him this season. The once-ironman at the start of his NHL career, Tim missed all of the 2003-04 season with concussion problems. But Tim appears to be back to his old self and proving to Sabres fans why he was a fifth-overall draft choice just six years ago. A native of Syracuse, New York - not far from where he plies his trade now - Tim has exceptional quickness and some of the softest hands around. He was originally drafted by the Islanders but was traded in the summer of 2001 to the Sabres. He turned in a career-high 45 points for the Sabres his first year there and looks on pace to shatter those numbers this year.
Recently:
Tim scored his seventh of the year, then asisted on game-tying, and overtime-winning goals to lead the Sabres past the Canadiens 3-2 Thursday. Tim now has 20 points in 26 games.
Did You Know:
Thursday's win marked the Sabres' first five-game win streak since 1992-93.
NHLPA.com Bio: Tim Connolly was drafted fifth overall in the 1999 Entry Draft by the New York Islanders. He made his NHL debut that season and scored his first goal on October 10 against the Avalanche's Patrick Roy. In 2000-01, Tim scored 41 points as paced all Islanders' forwards with an average 20:01 minutes of ice time per game.At the 2001 Entry Draft on June 24, Tim was traded with Taylor Pyatt to the Buffalo Sabres for Michael Peca. That season, he played all 82 games and improved to 45 points. He was second on the team with 35 assists. In 2002-03, Tim played 80 games and scored 25 points. He missed all of the 2003-04 season to injury.