BOSTON — With the Sabres looking for a physical spark in their lineup, they will dress recent call-up Cody McCormick in Game 4 Wednesday night in place of forward Matt Ellis, whose nose was broken when he was "Boychuked" in the second period of Game 3. McCormick led the Sabres' AHL affiliate Portland with 168 penalty minutes in 66 games this year.
And with the Bruins holding the edge physically to this point in the series, McCormick knows exactly why he's here.
"Yeah, I'd say that's what my job is, to come up and play some good, physical hockey," McCormick told NESN.com. "I'm going to do what they ask me to do and if that means playing physical and getting things going, I will."
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound McCormick has experienced the Stanley Cup playoffs before, playing four games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2008. He knows what's at stake and how high the intensity level can get. That's why he's excited to get a chance to help the Sabres and hopefully bring the series back to Buffalo tied at two games apiece.
"This is the best time of season and to be part of this environment is amazing," McCormick said. "I just want to come in and enjoy this and help the guys get to that level we need to be at."
McCormick, who turned 27 on Sunday, actually has a bit of a history with some current Bruins. He was part of some old-time hockey in Providence earlier this season when he came off the bench to jump current Bruins forward Brad Marchand. An on-ice brawl ensued. McCormick, though, had more to say about Bruins forward Vladimir Sobotka, whom he termed a bit of a show-off.
"He's a really talented player and, well, he had scored a goal once and was just taunting us and that's how that stuff started," McCormick said of the Oct. 18 minor-league fisticuffs. "So I let him know we didn't appreciate it. You don't do that stuff. But it's all good and he's great player. I'm doing my job and he was doing his, but he was showboating there."
