Sabres Edge

The Sabres have announced they have invited every player in team history to attend the regular-season home finale April 8. Team President Ted Black told The News about the plan during an exclusive tour of the dressing room earlier this month.

"Not only is this our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the fans, but it’s a chance for the fans to say ‘thank you’ to all the wonderful former players that have worn the Buffalo Sabres uniform over the past 40 years," Sabres owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. "I think this will be a very special night for everyone involved."

Every former player that attends will be part of a pregame Party in the Plaza red carpet event outside HSBC Arena from 5-7 p.m. Alumni will be dropped off at the red carpet in a car from their era, and will be available for autographs and pictures as they walk into the arena prior to the game against Philadelphia.

All attending alumni will also be honored in a pregame on-ice ceremony that will also include presentation of the 2010-11 Sabres MVP, Rookie of the Year and Hardest Working Player awards. In addition, an online vote will provide Sabres fans with the opportunity to make their choice for “The 7th Man” – the team’s Fan of the Year Award. Details of the online voting process will be announced shortly.

"Ever since we opened up the Sabres Suggestion Box, the fans kept telling us to bring back Fan Appreciation Night," Black said. "We have the greatest fans in the NHL, and they deserve to be treated that way. It’s not just about the game, we want to recognize our fans as well."

Throughout the game, season-ticket holders will be selected though random drawings to win a jersey off the back of a Sabres player. The winning fans will then be brought down to the ice and will receive their game-worn jersey directly from their selected player.

---John Vogl

The Sabres skated today at Northtown Center in Amherst, but Jochen Hecht again missed the workout. The forward, who has an upper-body injury, will miss his second straight game Saturday when the Sabres host the Atlanta Thrashers in HSBC Arena.

---John Vogl

Have to give it up to the Sabres for the way they handled the immediate aftermath of Rick Martin's sudden death and the way they're continuing to remember the great left winger of the French Connection.

Today was team picture day, with the players donning their 40th anniversary blue jerseys for the official time capsule group shot. It was the first time, of course, new owner Terry Pegula was in the front row in the owner's chair and Pegula added a nice touch to the shot by holding a while No. 7 Martin jersey facing the camera.

In addition, the Sabres have painted a blue No. 7 outlined in gold in honor of Martin on the ice behind both nets for the remainder of the season. Next Thursday's memorial service in the arena figures to be a stirring tribute as well.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

After dressing up in their alternate blues for their first team picture with new owner Terry Pegula, the Sabres are opening practice in HSBC Arena. The only players missing remain Jochen Hecht and goaltender Patrick Lalime. Patrick Kaleta came on the ice at the start of practice and took a few spins before leaving once drills started. Jhonas Enroth has shed the red and black Portland Pirates color scheme on his pads and has blue and gold ones. He's not going anywhere.

As he did Tuesday against Carolina, Chris Butler is the extra defenseman and is taking turns with Andrej Sekera alongside Tyler Myers. The other pairs remain Steve Montador-Jordan Leopold and Shaone Morrisonn-Mike Weber.

The forward lines are Vanek-Connolly-Pominville, Ennis-Boyes-Stafford, Gerbe-Gaustad-Mancari and Niedermayer-McCormick-Grier.

And another note: There is a blue number 7 surrounded in gold painted on the ice behind each net in honor of Rick Martin. Great touch again in Pegulaville.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

The Toronto Maple Leafs got under the Sabres' skin Saturday night in the Air Canada Centre but they did the Blue and Gold a favor Wednesday night in Raleigh's RBC Center with a 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Second-period goals 12 seconds apart by Dion Phaneuf and Tyler Bozak snapped a 1-1 tie and rookie goalie James Reimer, who was bad in Monday's loss against Tampa Bay, was solid in net. 

So here's the battle for eighth place up to the minute:

7. NYR 78 pts, 71 GP
8. BUF 76 pts, 70 GP
9. CAR 74 pts, 71 GP
10. TOR 72 pts, 71 GP
11. NJD 70 pts, 69 GP
12. ATL 70 pts, 70 GP

Also tonight, the Washington Capitals suffered a 3-2 loss in Detroit and were denied their 10th straight win and their bid to move a point ahead of Philadelphia for first place in the East. The Caps were 8-0 this month and 11-1 in their previous 12, a stretch that began with their 2-1 win over the Sabres Feb. 20 in that Sunday afternoon yawner that turned out to be Tom Golisano's last game as owner.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

So are you scared about the Devils swooping in and taking a playoff spot now? You should be.

The law of averages says they have to cool down. But what if they never do? Jacques Lemaire's team is an incredible 23-3-2 in its last 28 games. Once 27 points out of a playoff spot, the Devils are now a stunning six back of the Sabres -- with a game in hand that they'll play Thursday night in Ottawa.

"You'd think there'd be a little chance," a coy Lemaire said after practice today when asked about his team making the playoffs. "Ask Buffalo coach and New York Rangers coach if it’s easy to make the playoffs, and Carolina coach. They’ve been there all year, and I know they still worry."

(A side note: The Newark Star-Ledger story linked above was written by former Buffalo News intern Jackie Friedman)

Once 10-29-2, the Devils finally climbed over .500 with Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Thrashers that moved them from 12th place in the East to 10th. The Sabres play them here March 26. When you look at the Devils' schedule, five of their last seven are at home. They could set themselves up very nicely on the four-game roadie that ends here.

Lemaire, meanwhile, has set himself up nicely for plenty of coach of the year votes. Amazing job. Just imagine if the Devils make the playoffs. Imagine if you're the Flyers or Capitals and your reward for the first round is the Devils. Yikes. The Eastern Conference would be well advised to make sure the Devils don't make the postseason party.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

How good was Carolina goaltender Cam Ward in Tuesday's 1-0 Canes victory in HSBC Arena? Ward's 40-save shutout equaled the most stops in a blanking of the Sabres in Buffalo's franchise history. Old friend Marty Biron also made 40 stops in a 3-0 win for Philadelphia here on Nov. 21, 2008.

Ward's 40 stops also tied the Hartford/Carolina franchise record for saves in a shutout, set by Jason Muzzati with 40 for Hartford at New Jersey on April 4, 1996 (10 days before he was tossed for fighting in the final game at the Aud).

It was the 10th time this season Ward has made 40 or more saves in a game -- and Carolina is 8-1-1 in those contests.

The Sabres were off today and return to the ice Thursday morning in the arena.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Greetings from our usual perch atop HSBC Arena for tonight's showdown between the Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes, who are ultra desperate to win this one to crawl closer in the playoff race. Buffalo can take a six-point lead over the ninth place Canes with a regulation win tonight. With only 12 games left, that would be a pretty big lead over all the teams outside the top eight.

I was not at Sunday's game -- after that see-the-USA roadie, I needed to reacquaint myself with my couch -- but I made sure to watch and listen to every second I could of the Rick Martin coverage. Tough day indeed. Great of the Sabres to trot out Lindy Ruff and three other alums in the hour before the game as well as Terry Pegula. The pregame salute hit all the right chords and so did the players' postgame salute. Very touching. Very memorable.

Little known Harrington fact: First Sabres game I attended at the Aud was Dec. 9, 1971 against Chicago. Hawks won, 3-1. Only Sabres goal: Rick Martin at 2:33 of the third period. 

I hear there's a movement tonight for fans to start a "Rico, Rico" chant when the clock hits 14 minutes of the first period, as in the seventh minute of play. That would be nice. The word on Twitter is that the Sabres will be debuting a goal song tonight when they score. I'll have more on that when it happens. We're also hearing of another surprise upstairs tonight. I noticed one already: There are new speakers hanging from the catwalk above the 300 level and the PA is definitely clearer.

It's a late start tonight, 7:40 due to Versus. I made this point on Twitter today and I repeat it here: The network really goofed using play-by-play man John Forslund on tonight's game. He does an excellent job -- but he's the Hurricanes' regular announcer. That should not happen. Get somebody else in here. I know there's a Devils game tonight so Mike Emrick, who did last night's San Jose-Chicago game, is probably not available but a national telecast (Ed Olczyk and Brian Engblom are in the house) should not feature one of the local teams' announcers.

How would folks in Carolina feel tonight if Rick Jeanneret was behind the mic? You get my point. But enough quibbling about TV. We'll get you the scratches, starters, etc. shortly.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

7:28 p.m: Sabres scratch Chris Butler. Steve Montador back in.

7:30 p.m.: I love the "We're coming home" opening video montage of the road trip. Pardon my lack of recognition of the music but it works.

Sabres starters: Gerbe-Gaustad-Mancari-Myers-Sekera. Goal: Miller
Canes starters: Stillman-Staal-Ruutu-Corvo-Pitkanen. Goal: Ward 

Third Period

15:44 left: Apologies. I had a whole post that disappeared into cyberland when the Internet conked out. They're getting that fixed here this week I'm told. Vanek just took a Leopold wrist shot to the chest on a power play. Canes are 21-1-0 when leading after 2. ... Here's a shot courtesy of Mark Mulville of Terry Pegula and Ted Black in section 317 in the first period. Love the puckhead nearby. Pegula-Black by the railing in the front at the bottom of the shot (left -- click for bigger view)

14:10 left: Cole goes for interference. 

13:59 left: Ward robs Ennis with the glove.

11:50 left: Ward holding strong. Shots 6-4 and now the Sabres are hit with a too many men penalty at the end of the power play.

9:40 left: Another PP killed. Canes 0 for 4.

8:02 left: Miller stones Cole all alone in front on a clear break. Had plenty of time to deke a couple steps too. Keeps Buffalo in the game.

5:47 left: Sloppiness all over the place. Montador, who might be heading back to the press box based on this game, blew a tire and allowed a break. The puck went wide, Ennis tried to break in as it careened down the ice and Ward had to make a save. Canes playing a great road game, keeping Buffalo from great chances and letting Ward clean up when he has to. For a team that's given up 39 shots on goal, full marks to Carolina at this point in a game of this importance. Sabres had a chance to bury the Leafs Saturday and failed. They have a chance to really put a crimp in the Canes' plans and so far, it's no dice. 

3:41 left: Montador just clinched his spot in the press box with a silly boarding penalty. Canes to the PP again. Even if they continue to be pathetic, it's another two minutes they can run off the clock to protect the lead.

1:42 left: Icing on Canes. Faceoff in Carolina zone.

It's over: A great job by the Canes to pull out a 1-0 win. Tough loss. Final shots were 40-33.

Second Period

8:36 p.m.: The puck is dropped. It was Staal on the penalty. My bad. A high-five to the PR department for heeding our wishes and producing in-game notes like so many other NHL arenas are doing now. The notes point out the 22 shots tied Buffalo's season high in a period set Dec. 28 at Edmonton and equaled last week at Boston. A sobering note: Carolina is 21-3-4 when scoring first; the Sabres had score first in 10 of their last 11 games.

14:50 left: Sabres have a 4-2 edge in shots. Boyes just made a terrible giveaway to Stillman in the slot but Stillman's shot was high and wide.

11:30 left: Much tighter period with shots 7-4 for Buffalo. Ward has been very sharp for the Canes. Exactly what they need tonight.

10:44 left: Sekera goes for elbowing a couple seconds after Skinner pulls the puck away from Myers in the slot and nearly beats Miller. 

8:11 left: Ref Kelly Sutherland clipped by Weber's stick. Down briefly and bleeding. Come on, people. Don't applaud. He goes off for repairs to applause. The right kind. Thank you. During the break, the fans get the white rally towels going for the first time tonight. Nice touch.

6:49 left: Pitkanen for interference after drilling Gerbe, who goes for unsportsmanlike conduct diving. Terrible. Gerbe got drilled a few seconds earlier by Joslin -- a total punch in the head in front of an official that went uncalled. 

4:47 left: Teams back to 5-on-5. Crowd definitely more alive and more surly in the wake of the missed call/followed by blown call on Gerbe.

4:00 left: It goes both ways. Skinner pulled down with a stick to the face and no call. Several Canes banging their stick on the boards in front of the bench. You don't normally do that but they sure had a point.

End-2nd: Still 1-0 for Carolina. Vanek shoots wide on breakaway in final 10 seconds. Totally fakes Josline but misses the net. Shots 10-9 in that period and 32-22 for Buffalo for the game.

First Period

7:40 p.m.: A deadline-killing opening faceoff.

19:43 left: Mancari and Tuomo Ruutu go for unsportsmanlike conduct. Ruutu hit Sekera and Mancari drilled Ruutu. Tell me what was unsportsmanlike. This ain't a tennis match.

19:14 left: Ward stops Connolly on a 2-on-1. Good to see him shoot. He then bowls over Ward but both get up and seem OK.

15:06 left: Great work down low by Ennis, who had two chances. A few seconds later, Gaustad's breakaway pass to Gerbe is a little too hard and shoots over Gerbe's stick into the stands.

14:38 left: Gaustad for hooking. Canes' power play has been a trainwreck of late. They're 0 for 21 in their last five games and 3 for 61 in their last 15.

12:30 left: Make that 0 for 22 and 3 for 62. Two shots on the PP. Great PK job by the likes of Connolly, Grier and McCormick, among others.

10:04 left: Ward has to hop back into the crease to kick Mancari's shot into the crowd after a weak clearing attempt right to the Buffalo winger.

9:21 left: Terry Pegula and Ted Black are sitting to our right in Section 317 and just got a huge ovation when he was recognized on the HD board as the mayor of Pegulaville. At the top of the section is a sign "Welcome to Pegulaville, est. 2011."

9:04 left: Niedermayer for interference just a couple seconds after McCormick is stopped on the doorstep. If that puck had gone in right after the owner's introduction, that would have clearly been Pegula Power.

8:08 left: Great glove save by Miller on Jay Harrison. Shots are 8-7 for Buffalo.

6:51 left: Make that 0 for 23 and 3 for 63 for the Canes. Another kill.

3:45 left: Shots are 17-7 for Buffalo but it hardly seems like a shooting gallery here. Mostly on the outside, except for the most recent by Stafford. Still, Sabres skating well in this game except when they're in the box. Hurricanes have to be better. They don't look too desperate.

1:16 left: Sabres had 13 straight shots at one stretch to push the count to 21-7. It's now 21-11 as Canes have been strong for the last minute or so. Super rookie Jeff Skinner has created a lot of open ice for himself and had two great chances.

42.3 left: Canes get rewarded. Great play by Brandon Sutter to pull a Derek Joslin rebound around Miller and tuck it into the empty net. Canes lead, 1-0. The goal came seconds after Pegula left his seat to big cheers. Shoulda stayed put, Terry!

End-1st: Stillman will get a cross-checking penalty to start the second period. Shots are 22-13 for Buffalo. That equals Buffalo's season high and is their third 20+-shot period in the last five games.

The Sabres scored six goals in Sunday's victory over Ottawa, so production isn't a huge issue. Still, getting their leading goal-scorer back is a boost.

Drew Stafford, who missed the past two games with a hamstring strain, will play tonight when the Hurricanes visit HSBC Arena. Stafford has 26 goals in 49 games. He had two goals and an assist in the four games before his injury.

"I had a few good days of good rehab and treatment. I feel good, ready to go," said Stafford, whose team is 3-0-1 in its last four home games. "Every game right now is huge for us for points, and I think that has something to do with it. We're definitely tightening up our game, executing well, and we've got to keep it going."

The seventh-place Sabres can create a six-point cushion over Carolina with a regulation win, while the ninth-place Hurricanes would like to pull within two points by winning in 60 minutes.

"You can use the phrase 'biggest game of the year,' and it really is for them," coach Lindy Ruff said.

Ruff, who scratched defenseman Steve Montador for Sunday's 6-4 win over Ottawa, said his defense pairings will be a game-time decision.

Ryan Miller will start in goal for Buffalo. He spoke about the Hurricanes and talked emotionally about Sunday's death of Richard Martin. The audio of the interview is below.

---John Vogl

Ryan Miller

Greetings from the early stages of the Sabres' morning skate. The warm-up drill featured the following lines:

Thomas Vanek-Brad Boyes-Drew Stafford

Tyler Ennis-Tim Connolly-Jason Pominville

Nathan Gerbe-Paul Gaustad-Mark Mancari

Rob Niedermayer-Cody McCormick-Mike Grier

All seven defensemen are present, as are goalies Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth.

Stafford's presence indicates he is likely to return from his hamstring strain tonight against Carolina. Jochen Hecht, who has an upper-body injury, is not on the ice.

---John Vogl

Former Sabres goalies Dominik Hasek and Grant Fuhr will join NHL ambassador Willie O’Ree in Buffalo this week for the 2011 Willie O'Ree Skills Weekend. The event, hosted by Hasek’s Heroes, will run Thursday through Sunday.

The weekend will involve 45 boys and girls from youth hockey organizations throughout North America, including Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.
 
The skills showcase, which will feature NHL alumni and college and USA Hockey coaches, will include a game in HSBC Arena and attendance at Sabres practice Thursday and their game Saturday against Atlanta.
 
"I am honored to participate in this tremendous event and pleased that the National Hockey League, Buffalo Sabres and Hasek’s Heroes have joined together to support these boys and girls," said O’Ree, the NHL’s first black player. "It will be a great weekend for hockey, proving again that hockey is for everyone."

---John Vogl

Sidney Crosby, feeling symptom-free for a few days for the first time since absorbing two head shots during the first week of January, skated today in Pittsburgh.

"I felt pretty good doing some light workouts," Crosby said. "I was told I had the opportunity to skate. I went out there for 15 minutes to see how I felt. No real plan going forward. I felt good, so that’s a good sign."

---John Vogl

Pete Weber, the longtime Buffalo broadcaster who's now calling games for the Nashville Predators, provided us with some audio from Rick Martin's career in Buffalo.

Martin died Sunday in a one-car crash in Clarence. An autopsy today concluded he died of heart disease.

Here's some of the audio that Weber shared:

The call of Martin's 1978 All-Star Game goal:

Martin interviewed after All-Star game:

A 1981 feature Weber did on Martin:

Martin's remarks when the numbers of the French Connection were retired:

Here's a call of a Martin goal from the late Ted Darling:

The family of Rick Martin and the Sabres have announced there will be a public memorial service to celebrate the life of the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Famer and famed member of the French Connection at 11 a.m. March 24 in HSBC Arena. The Sabres will announce further details later this week.

The Sabres said anyone wishing to make a donation in Martin’s memory can direct it to Compass House, 1451 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14209.

---John Vogl

An autopsy performed on Rick Martin determined the Sabres legend died of heart disease, state police reported this morning.

Dr. Diane Vertes, who performed the autopsy at Erie County Medical Center, found Martin, 59, died of hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or HAS CVD.

This is progressive and prolonged hardening of the arteries that can lead to a heart attack, heart failure and other complications.

Martin, an Akron resident, was driving westbound on Main Street in Clarence shortly after noon Sunday when he suffered an apparent medical emergency and lost control of his sedan and went off the road, state police said Sunday.

Witnesses told troopers that Martin was slumped over the wheel, and appeared to have his eyes closed, as he drifted off the road just west of Salt Road.

Passers-by and a trooper performed CPR on Martin, who was unresponsive, and he was pronounced dead soon after his arrival at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Amherst.

---Stephen T. Watson and Henry Davis

Happy Monday. The Sabres are expected to be off today following back-to-back games over the weekend, including the end of a seven-game road trip. So we'll start with your usual look around the NHL, starting right here in the B-lo with the death of Rick Martin:

*Rick Martin became part of Buffalo lore because of his athletic talents. He was one-third of the most fabled line in Sabres history, and his scoring ability created fans and admirers.

It was away from the rink, however, where Martin really made an impression on Western New Yorkers. The fun-loving Quebec native took time to talk with fans when he played in the 1970s, and the long chats continued after his retirement, when he chose to stay in the area. He was quick with a joke, often told in the relaxed setting of a tavern, golf course or autograph session.

If there was a party, Martin was usually the life of it.

That was the Martin that Mike Robitaille chose to remember Sunday while mourning the death of his former teammate. Martin died Sunday afternoon at age 59 while driving in Clarence, a sudden death that brought tears to eyes throughout HSBC Arena and the area.

"What are we doing being so emotional when what he stands for is to have fun and laugh?" Robitaille said prior to the Sabres' home game against Ottawa. "Man, we should have the biggest party in the world for Richard. If he was in this situation, he'd have it for himself."

*Jerry Sullivan writes that losing Martin, the greatest pure goal scorer in Sabres history, is a death in the family of Buffalo hockey. It comes at an especially emotional time for Sabres fans, whose hopes have been soaring since Terry Pegula bought the team three weeks ago and declared that winning the Stanley Cup was his sole driving ambition.

Martin was a wondrous talent who scored 44 goals as a rookie and averaged 47 goals over his first five seasons. He touched the community with his charity work and his lively personality in charity golf outings. Apparently, he didn't know how to say no.

"Oh, God. Most everything I asked him to do, he did for free," said Larry Playfair, the longtime head of the Sabres Alumni. "He was the life of the party. Everybody wanted him in the tournament, and everybody wanted to play with him."

"It's too bad," French Connection linemate Rene Robert said. "Pegula had just put us together. He told us that night, 'Now you're going to be here until you die.' I tell you, I'm speechless. When you play that long with two guys, they're family. At least there was time to bring us all back together one more time."

*Paul Gaustad knew a lot of people in Sabreland were hurting Sunday following the death of team legend Rick Martin. Gaustad figured, aside from Martin's family, the Buffalo coaching staff might be grieving most. Lindy Ruff played with Martin and has been his friend, golf buddy and co-worker for 32 years. Martin spent time as an assistant on Ruff's coaching staff in 2003.

So while Gaustad's teammates were at one end of the HSBC Arena ice celebrating a 6-4 victory over Ottawa, the center skated to the opposite end to retrieve the game puck. It was presented to the coaching staff to bring a few smiles on an otherwise sad day.

"It was for Rico," Gaustad said. "It's a tough loss for the Sabres. I thought we responded well to it, but it's just a sad day for the Sabres."

The Sabres, playing their first home game since Feb. 26, skated to center ice following the victory and raised their sticks toward Martin's banner in the rafters in a sign of tribute and condolence.

"It was important for us to do that," forward Tyler Ennis said. "He was an unbelievable player, one of the best Sabres to ever play, so we just had to honor him."

*The News has compiled a photo gallery of Martin through the years.

*Concussions will be on the minds of the National Hockey League's general managers when they meet for three days starting today in Florida.

"If you listen to the media and read the papers north of the border, there's tremendous pressure to at least revisit [the subject of reducing head injuries in the game]," Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier said. "I think we're going to have to do that."

Regier says the discussion will try to stick to the facts at hand as a starting point.

"You have 30 general mangers with differing views," he said. "One of the things the league has done is bring a lot of factual information in to have a conversation, versus guys saying, 'I think it's this.' The league has done a very good job in that regard. There are equipment issues. Those things will be discussed."

*The Maine Hockey Journal writes that in the battle for first place in the Atlantic Division, the Portland Pirates will be welcoming some much needed time off.

The Pirates, who are playing a season-high 15 games in the month of March, including this current stretch of six games in nine nights, simply ran out of gas, falling to the Manchester Monarchs, 4-2, in front of 5,487 at the Cumberland County Civic Center on Sunday afternoon.

---John Vogl

Tyler Ennis had his second career two-goal game, and the rookie tied a personal best with points in three straight games (two goals, two assists). Defenseman Mike Weber matched his career high with three points (all assists), while goaltender Jhonas Enroth set personal marks for saves (34) and shots faced (38).

Enroth allowed the Senators’ Jason Spezza to have a four-point night (two goals, two assists), but the backup goalie was otherwise impressive in improving to 5-2-1.

"The kid has done a pretty good job of making big saves in timely parts of the game for us," coach Lindy Ruff said.

The Sabres finished the game without forward Jochen Hecht, who suffered a recurrence of the upper-body injury that sidelined him four times earlier this month. Buffalo started without defenseman Steve Montador, who was a healthy scratch after a minus-2 outing in Toronto.

"Good on the offensive side, he’s had a little bit of a tough time on the defensive side," Ruff said. "We’d really like to keep everybody going. It was not an easy decision to make, and they never are. We’ve got seven guys that have been playing hard for us."

Ruff on the victory: "Obviously, a sad day, but I told the team Rico would’ve wanted the team to go out and win one and want us to go out and have fun during the game. I just told them it would be nice to win one for Rico."

Ruff on Nathan Gerbe's slap shot that gave Buffalo a 5-3 lead: "Gerbe’s shot was a mirror image of how Rico scored. You don’t see those very often. As soon as it went in I thought the same thing: It was just vintage Richard Martin right there."

---John Vogl

There will not be a full live blog tonight of the Sabres hosting the Senators due to the stories being produced regarding Rick Martin, but there will be a few updates throughout the night.

First off, Steve Montador is scratched for the Sabres. He and Jordan Leopold had a rough night Saturday in Toronto.

5:03 p.m.: The Sabres are wearing a stick on their helmets with Martin's No. 7 and his name. Jhonas Enroth is in net.

FIRST PERIOD

5:10 p.m.: The game is underway following a pregame salute to Martin, which featured a taped speech by Rick Jeanneret, a standing ovation by the fans and moment of silence.

5:19 p.m.: Tyler Ennis gives the Sabres a 1-0 lead with 14:20 left.

5:27 p.m.: Jason Spezza's power-play goal with 11:08 left ties the game, 1-1.

5:33 p.m.: Thomas Vanek gives the Sabres a 2-1 lead with 7:34 to go.

5:47 p.m.: The teams head to the dressing room tied at 2-2. Colin Greenling scored for Ottawa with 1:44 remaining. The Senators hold a 16-13 shot edge.

SECOND PERIOD

6:10 p.m.: Ennis scores just 1:36 in to give the Sabres a 3-2 lead. Kudos to the Sabres' PR staff, which has begun producing between-period game notes. Good job by them.

6:12 p.m.: Paul Gaustad scores just 33 seconds later, with 17:50 to go, giving the Sabres a 4-2 lead and ending the night for Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson.

6:21 p.m.: Spezza banks in a shot off Enroth from behind the net with 10:21 left.

6:36 p.m.: Nathan Gerbe rips a slap shot over the left shoulder of goalie Curtis McElhinney to give the Sabres a 5-3 lead with 5:26 left.

6:47 p.m.: The Sabres hit intermission with a 5-3 lead anbd 29-24 shot deficit.

THIRD PERIOD

7:04 p.m.: And they're back.

7:33 p.m.: And so am I. The Sabres lead, 6-3, with 2:45 left. Jochen Hecht has left the game with an upper-body injury.

7:35 p.m.: Ottawa scores with 45 seconds left, but the Sabres will win. That's all for now.

---John Vogl

The Sabres just held a brief news conference to remember Rick Martin, with Lindy Ruff, Larry Playfair, Mike Robitaille, Rob Ray and Terry Pegula sharing thoughts on the Buffalo hockey legend.

The full audio file is below.

"We lost a heck of a good guy," said Ruff, who played with Martin and hired him as an assistant coach. "It's a tough one to take."

Said Playfair, president of the Sabres' alumni: "Whatever he could do for the community he did. Most of you saw that."

Pegula, who spent his first game as owner in late February watching the proceedings with Martin and French Connection linemates Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert, remembers Martin as the happiest member of the trio, always smiling.

"We had a lot of plans," Pegula said as his eyes welled. "Now there will be an empty chair."

---John Vogl

The mood is quickly turning somber in HSBC Arena as word is trickling out that Sabres Hall of Famer Rick Martin died today of a heart attack at age 59.

"I’ve loved that man since I was 9 years old," Paula Pierce, clad in a white Martin No. 7 jersey, said while fighting back tears. "I remember I fell in love with him when he first stepped on the ice. It was like, He was mine."

The 49-year-old Pierce smiled while recalling past encounters with the winger, who stayed in the area following his playing days.

"I remember one time at the Sabres Carnival I got to sit on his lap and have my picture taken with him," Pierce said. "I remember my knees were shaking. He signed my jersey at that Farewell to the Aud thing. He was just here. We just saw him.

"I'm just crushed."

Martin earned fame as a member of the French Connection with Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert. Pierce remembers Martin as the outgoing member of the trio.

"The other two they signed their names, eh, whatever. He always just talked," Pierce said. "He always had something to say. He just seemed more personable. He just had that flair.

"I would make my aunt go get gas at his garage, Rico’s Trucks and Stuff on the boulevard. They were something special. He was always around. He never left."

---John Vogl

The Buffalo Sabres have released the following statement about Rick Martin, who died of a heart attack while driving in Clarence today at age 59:

"The Buffalo Sabres are saddened to announce the passing of Buffalo Sabres Hall of Famer and member of the famed French Connection, Rick Martin. Rick was not only one of the greatest players in franchise history, he was a great friend to the Sabres organization and the entire community. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Sabres organization go out to his wife Mikey and their two sons, Corey and Josh."

---John Vogl

Rick Martin, one-third of the most fabled line in Buffalo Sabres history, died today of a heart attack. He was 59.

Martin reportedly had a heart attack while driving in Clarence, a law enforcement officer said on the condition of anonymity.

Martin became etched in local lore as the high-scoring winger on the "French Connection," skating alongside Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert as the infant Sabres captured the area’s attention.

Martin helped welcome new Sabres owner Terry Pegula to town late last month, skating onto the ice with Perreault and Robert and shaking Pegula’s hand at center ice as the fans in HSBC Arena cheered.

Rene Robert was already reeling from tragic news when he heard about his former linemate's death at around 2:30 this afternoon. Early this morning, Robert got a phone call informing him that his older brother, Real, had died of a heart attack in Montreal. Real, a musician, was the eldest of 10 children.

"It's like a bad dream," said Robert, who is in Florida visiting his daughter. "First my brother, then my left winger. I lose Rico (Martin). I tell you what. This one is going to be tough for everybody in Buffalo. 
It's too bad. (Owner Terry) Pegula just put us together. He told us, 'You guys are going to be here now until you die.'"

Gllbert Perreault, the center on the great French Connection line, was watching hockey at his home in Victoriaville when he heard the news.

"It's sad news," Perreault said. "It's a reminder that you never know in life. I mean, he was 59. That's young, and he always seemed to be in such good shape. I hadn't seen him much in the past 20 years, but you don't forget all the years you played together. We were together since my days in junior. I stayed at his house for a year. Oh, Rick was a guy with all the jokes. He was funny and people really enjoyed being in his presence. He was a great golfer, too. That was his passion after hockey."

Happy Daylight Savings Time Day. The Sabres welcome Ottawa to HSBC Arena at 5 p.m., so there is no morning skate. In the meantime, here are your Sunday morning NHL papers, starting right here in the B-lo:

*The Sabres were 20 minutes away from solidifying their hold on seventh place and denting Toronto's hope of spring hockey. Instead, they allowed the Maple Leafs to spring back to life. Buffalo let a 3-2 lead slip away in the opening minutes of the third period and dropped a 4-3 decision in Air Canada Centre. The setback allowed the 10th-place Leafs to climb within four points.

"You've got to be able to hold a lead this time of year and we didn't do it," Miller said.

The goaltender and his teammates bused home following the game accompanied by a 4-2-1 record on their road trip. It was a journey that saw them climb from 10th place into a playoff position, but ending the trek with a disappointing loss stung.

"We can look at it and say we got a good majority of the points, so that's good," said Miller, who stopped 25 of 29 shots. "But every night becomes independent almost. We allowed the Leafs to breathe a little bit, and that's not what we need to do."

*One period away from an almost certain sentence to another long offseason, the Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off one of their most clutch 20 minutes of play in years Saturday night. It came at the expense of the Buffalo Sabres and kept the Leafs' playoff hopes alive.

The Leafs scored two goals in the third and rookie goaltender James Reimer's 39 saves in the game proved decisive in a massive 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres in a roaring Air Canada Centre.

The Toronto papers used big, bold headlines in the morning to bill this one as one of the franchise's biggest games in years. The Leafs, who entered it in an 0-2-1 rut, got within four points of a playoff spot with a win -- when it looked like they would fall eight back with a loss.

*Bucky Gleason catches up with Tim Kennedy, who made his season debut last week and returned to the NHL with the Florida Panthers after a seven-month exile that included five teams, three organizations and an equipment bag full of heartache. Yes, hockey can be a cold, unsentimental business riddled with cruel and unusual punishment.

Key word: business.

The South Buffalo native earned a Ph.D in hockey business -- and monkey business -- after being thrown on his keister by the Sabres last summer. He woke up from the nightmare in the AHL, where he became a prisoner of his ability, his $550,000 contract with the Rangers and the NHL's waiver rules.

"I could be doing something else with less stress," Kennedy joked last week by telephone from South Florida. "I get paid to do something I love. I've wanted this for my whole life. If you can work through the adversity, you'll be so much better for it. Things could be much worse. There are people out there who are having a hard time getting jobs. I'm playing hockey. For people like me to [complain] is just stupid."

*Larry Felser offers some credit where credit is due to the previous Sabres owners. As 2010 turned into 2011 the Sabres began playing far better hockey on a much more consistent basis. One major reason was the development of their young players, who were here before the era of Terry Pegula began.

*Portland Pirates Coach Kevin Dineen found out how well new backup goalie Jeff Jakaitis could play Saturday night, and the Pirates found another way to win, the Portland Press Herald reports.

Jakaitis, a journeyman playing in only his fifth AHL game, made 45 saves, and Colin Stuart scored a power-play goal with less than two minutes left as the Pirates eked out a 5-4 win before a sellout crowd of 6,854 at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

*The Toronto Star reports on the role of Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf, who may have his detractors, those who believe he’s not worthy of wearing the C. But with his team 20 minutes from playoff oblivion on Saturday night, the captain took control of his team.

In a game billed as a must-win, the Leafs were trailing by a goal heading to the second intermission, when Phaneuf decided to address his mates.

“Dion was talking in here, trying to get the boys fired up,” said goalie James Reimer. “Mike Komisarek, all the veterans (followed), saying what we need to do. As a team we just kind of settled in here and took some time to realize what we each had to do out there to be better, and it worked.”

*The Ottawa Sun reports the Senators had a quiet day at the office Saturday. After arriving in Buffalo at 2 a.m. following a 2-1 victory over the Lightning Friday night, the Senators cancelled practice and went to the HSBC Arena for an off-ice workout.

Coach Cory Clouston felt it was more important to give the players rest than have them take a 45-minute skate.

“There’s a lot of hockey in a short period of time and a lot of travel,” said Clouston. “We’re more worried about rest and recuperation than getting on the ice right now.”

Clouston also said he will hold one-on-one meetings with the players to make sure their effort level stays strong.

*The Ottawa Citizen makes a prediction about today's game: The Sabres blew a third period lead in a critical loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Expect Lindy Ruff to have his group ready for a bounce-back against the Senators. Ottawa 1, Sabres 3.

*The seventh-place Rangers pulled two points ahead of the eighth-place Sabres (with two extra games played) with a 3-2 shootout win in San Jose.

*It's official, NHL.com reports, the New Jersey Devils have even amazed their coach, Jacques Lemaire, after finally reaching the .500 mark.

But despite another dramatic one-goal victory on Saturday, a 3-2 overtime triumph over the New York Islanders that lifted the Devils to 32-32-4 on the season, Lemaire refuses to discuss his team's playoff chances until the Devils are no more than five points from the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

As it stands right now, the Devils, who've never been at .500 during the season, are six points out. After a 10-29-2 first half, they are 22-3-2 in their last 27 games with 14 matches remaining.

---John Vogl