Sabres Edge

By John Vogl

Cody Hodgson saw goal lights flashing at both ends of the rink all season, as the story in Sunday's paper showed. He created goals with the best of them, and he gave them up with the worst.

Among his stats was a .895 save percentage for the Sabres' goaltenders when he skated five-on-five. That ranked last on the Sabres and 589th of the 689 players who appeared in at least 10 games, according to BehindTheNet.ca.

Here are the goalies' save percentages for all the Sabres when they skated five-on-five. Keep in mind that fourth-line players typically skate against fourth-line players while the top guys skate against snipers. But that doesn't change the fact 589 out of 689 is not very good.

     1     MATT ELLIS C     1.000    
    2     LUKE ADAM LW     .966    
    3     JOHN SCOTT D    . 957    
    4     PATRICK KALETA RW     .949    
    5     STEVE OTT C     .949    
    6     JOCHEN HECHT LW     .948    
    7     CHAD RUHWEDEL D     .947    
    8     ADAM PARDY D     .945    
    9     VILLE LEINO LW     .944    
    10     KEVIN PORTER C     .944    
    11     BRIAN FLYNN C     .943    
    12     NATHAN GERBE C     .937    
    13     MIKE WEBER D     .934    
    14     ANDREJ SEKERA D     .928    
    15     CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF D .926    
    16     ALEXANDER SULZER D .926    
    17     MIKHAIL GRIGORENKO C     .924    
    18     MARK PYSYK D     .923    
    19     TYLER ENNIS C     .918    
    20     DREW STAFFORD RW     .911    
    21     TYLER MYERS D     .909    
    22     THOMAS VANEK LW     .901    
    23     MARCUS FOLIGNO LW     .899    
    24     CODY HODGSON C     .895    
    25     CODY MCCORMICK RW     .895    

By Mike Harrington

TORONTO -- It was a wild night in the Air Canada Centre and outside in Maple Leaf Square as the Leafs posted a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins to force Game Seven Monday night in TD Garden.

Be sure to read my column in Monday's editions of The News about the great atmosphere surrounding Game Six, which was the Leafs' first home playoff win since 2004 and first against Boston since 1959 (!). Click the two videos above for how things looked outside when the two goals were scored.

Here are some other random thoughts I have after Game Six:

By Mike Harrington

TORONTO -- We're on hand at the Air Canada Centre for Game Six of the Leafs-Bruins series (tonight at 7:30) and I'm wondering if we're way-way-way overdue for one of those into-the-night marathon playoff games that people talk about for a long time.

Last night's Pittsburgh-Islanders game was the 16th overtime contest of the first round -- tying the record for a round set last year. Former East Amherst product Brooks Orpik scored the game winner at 7:48 and you can watch the video above.

But none of the 16 games have gone past the first OT. Only two have gone past 15 minutes and just five have gone past 10 minutes (Boston's David Krejci scored at 13:06 to win Game Four of this series here on Wednesday night. Five have lasted less than three minutes. 

The average in total is just a shade over eight minutes. Sure, there's some great players on the ice but I can say no superstar has scored an OT goal yet. I point to bad goaltending and there's been plenty of it in the postseason so far. We'll see what happens here tonight, and whether Tuukka Rask and James Reimer can stretch a tie game deep into the night.

News Sports Reporter Mike Harrington filled in for Jerry Sullivan Friday on the "Bucky & Sully Show." Harrington and Bucky discussed the Sabres' credibility and the NHL draft in the segment below:

See more highlights from Friday's show here.

News Sports Reporter Mike Harrington filled in for Jerry Sullivan Friday on the "Bucky & Sully Show." Here's what Harrington had to say about the Sabres season-end news conference:

See more highlights from Friday's show here.

By Mike Harrington

Updates from the IIHF World Championships in Sweden and Finland: 

Thomas Vanek has team-highs of three goals and 20 shots on goal for Austria. The Aussies beat Slovakia in a shootout, with Vanek scoring the decisive goal. Christian Ehrhoff has been the workhorse for Germany, averaging 29:31 per game, while Andrej Sekera has done likewise for Slovakia at 24:55. Jhonas Enroth has a 1.76 goals-against average in the nets for Sweden.

In the standings -- go to the bottom of the page at this link -- Lindy Ruff-coached Team Canada has the tourney's best record at 4-0-1 for 13 points (losing only to Switzerland in a shootout). Finland leads the other group with 11 points. Team USA has nine points, tied with Russia and two behind the Finns.

Meanwhile, Rochester Amerks center Zemgus Girgensons, the Sabres' second first-round pick last June, has been suspended for one game for a butt-ending violation and will miss Latvia's game Saturday against Germany. The incident occurred during Thursday's 5-3 win over Slovakia.

By John Vogl

Archrivals Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are in another showdown. This time, John Tavares has joined as the third man in.

The NHL announced the three finalists for the Hart Trophy this morning, and the MVP candidates are Pittsburgh's Crosby, Washington's Ovechkin and the Islanders' Tavares. Voting was conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the conclusion of the regular season, and the winner will be announced during the Stanley Cup finals.

(For the record, the top three on the five-man ballot submitted by me, in order, were Ovechkin, Crosby, Tavares.)

After all three conclude the playoffs and the MVP race, they can start getting ready for the 2014 Olympics.

James Patrick

By John Vogl

James Patrick has been in Buffalo since 1998. He played for the Sabres in the Stanley Cup finals. He was an assistant coach when they won the Presidents' Trophy in 2007.

He'll always cherish his time, but it's over now as he and fellow assistant Kevyn Adams have been fired by Ron Rolston. They were holdovers from the staff of Lindy Ruff, and their departures were expected when Rolston had the interim tag removed from his coaching title this week.

"I was lucky to be here for 14 years," Patrick said by phone. "I love Buffalo and I love the Sabres. I was just so lucky to be able to work with great people, especially Lindy. To me, Lindy was the spirit and heart and soul of the Sabres, and to learn from him and work with him was such a great experience."

The 49-year-old said he plans to continue coaching.

The Sabres ranked 29th in power-play efficiency this season and 26th in penalty killing. They also lose 1,820 games of NHL experience with the loss of Patrick and Adams.

"It allows you to know all the situations that players are going through," Patrick said, "from young, naive, inexperienced players to older players still trying to hang on and can sometimes lack confidence but can still be real good, effective players. I guess what Kevyn and I can always relate to is we know exactly what they’re going through in all those situations."

By John Vogl

The NHL has announced the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, and for the first time all three goaltenders are from Europe.

The Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist (Sweden), San Jose's Antti Niemi (Finland) and Columbus' Sergei Bobrovsky (Russia) are in the running to be named top goalie, as voted on by the league's general managers.

Bobrovsky is the favorite after leading the surprising Blue Jackets to the cusp of the playoffs. He was 21-11-6 with a 2.00 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. He'd become the first Russian to win the award.

Lundqvist won last year and is a finalist for the fifth time.

The first European Vezina winner was Philadelphia's Pelle Lindbergh (Sweden) in 1985. Dominik Hasek (Czech Republic) has won the most with six.

By Mike Harrington

I did some number-crunching today on the Sabres' stats under Lindy Ruff and the comparable numbers under Ron Rolston and found no real dramatic changes. A bad hockey team under the old coach was still a pretty bad hockey team at times under the new one.

Games were a little tighter under Rolston, who seemed to pull back on some of Ruff's four-in-the-zone rushes with defenseman pinching up. Buffalo's goals-for dropped a little but it's goals-against came down by more than half a goal under Rolston, so that was good.

The Sabres simply didn't have the puck enough by any measure, whether you're looking at traditional stats, new-wave analytics or the basic eye test that resulted in fan boos. Opponents average 33.5 shots per game against Ruff's Sabres and 33.5 shots per game against Rolston's. Odd. The Sabres were last in the league in shots against.

John Vogl and Mike Harrington report from First Niagara Center where on May 7 the Sabres named interim coach Ron Rolston the team's permanent head coach.

Earlier today, Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier named Ron Rolston as the team's permanent coach. Watch a news conference with Rolston here when it begins at 11 a.m. today:

By John Vogl

Ron Rolston really wanted to see what he could do in a normal NHL season. This truncated lockout year deprived teams of practice and teaching time, two things Rolston feels he can do really well. Following the season finale, he lamented the inability to do them.

He'll get his chance now.

The Sabres have removed the interim tag for Rolston, who was named the team's permanent head coach this morning.

General Manager Darcy Regier and Rolston will make a formal announcement at an 11 a.m. news conference in First Niagara Center.

Rolston, who took over for Lindy Ruff on Feb. 20, went 15-11-5 with the Sabres. They were tied for the youngest team in the NHL at various points in the season, and they are likely to retain that title next season.

Rolston came into the organization with a reputation for being a teacher after a long stint with the U.S. National Team Development Program, and the club will need an instructor for the young players.

The 46-year-old is the 16th head coach in team history. A big question revolves around his assistants.

The Sabres promoted Rolston from Rochester to replace Ruff, but they kept all of the longtime coach's assistants, notably James Patrick, Teppo Numminen, Kevyn Adams and Jim Corsi. Rolston's assistants remained in Rochester, with Chadd Cassidy assuming the interim head role with the Amerks.

Rolston may want to surround himself with coaches he knows.

Rolston was under contract with the organization through at least the end of June, so the Sabres could have taken more time for a coaching search. It's unclear whether they interviewed anyone. A representative for Patrick Roy said the Hall of Fame goaltender and junior coaching prospect said Monday he was not contacted.

Watch live video of the Sabres' press conference here at 11 a.m.

By John Vogl

The Sabres are still without a permanent coach, but it appears Patrick Roy is not in the sights of General Manager Darcy Regier at the moment.

Roy, the Hall of Fame goaltender who is coach, GM and co-owner of the Quebec Remparts, is a much-discussed choice to become a coach in the NHL. But apparently that discussion is only among fans and media.

By John Vogl

NHL awards season has begun.

The league has announced the finalists for the Calder Trophy, given annually to the Rookie of the Year. The three candidates are Brendan Gallagher of Montreal, Jonathan Huberdeau of Florida and Brandon Saad of Chicago.

Voting, done by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, has already been completed. (For the record, Gallagher was the top choice on my ballot.) The winners of all the awards will be announced during the Stanley Cup finals. The league's annual award show got axed because of the lockout but will return to Las Vegas next season.

The Sabres are expected to get shut out of the award process for the third straight season. In 2010, Ryan Miller won the Vezina Trophy and the Foundation Player Award, and Tyler Myers won the Calder.

Sabres interim coach Ron Rolston went 15-11-5 after taking over for Lindy Ruff in February.

By John Vogl

Darcy Regier will announce Ron Rolston's fate in the near future, the Sabres' general manager said today.

Regier and Rolston met earlier this week about whether to remove Rolston's tag of interim coach. Rolston went 15-11-5 after taking over for Lindy Ruff in February.

"No decisions yet," Regier told reporters in Rochester as part of the Amerks' locker clean-out day. "Fairly soon in the case of the head coach in Buffalo, and then Rochester will follow. Those are conversations we’re going to have."

Regier again said the team is interested in moving up from the eighth spot in the draft.

"I have talked to the teams that are in front of us, or most of them, and if we’re in a position to move up it’s something that we would entertain doing," Regier said, "but we also feel this is a deep draft."

News Sports Columnists Bucky Gleason and Jerry Sullivan discuss the Sabres' heated, end-of-season news conference during the live show.

By John Vogl

Darcy Regier has made it clear he wants to move up in the draft. The Sabres hold the No. 8 overall pick, and the general manager has made calls to teams that are picking in front of Buffalo.

It will be a chore trying to convince a fellow GM to deal, based on history.

In the 25 drafts since 1988, the teams holding the eighth pick have moved up just twice. In both trades, the team had to give up a second-round pick to jump just a few spots.

It was definitely worth it.

By John Vogl

Despite a key talking point lately, it is in fact about the playoffs. It's the best hockey of the year, and players build or enhance their reputations during the postseason.

Zemgus Girgensons sure did.

The 19-year-old had an non-descript regular season in Rochester, but he was the Amerks' best player as the team lost all three games to Toronto. (Read all about him here.)

“Best player on the team. Best player on the ice,” said Amerks forward Cody McCormick, the former Sabres tough guy who was no slouch himself against the Marlies.

By Mike Harrington

I'm not going to go all Jim Mora on you and ask what playoffs are. After all, your "suffering" is just beginning.

But the Stanley Cup playoffs did, in fact, start this week and that means CBC's annual montage to get your blood flowing. As usual, the folks north of the border did an incredible job.

This one has gone all over the Internet the last couple days but since I don't get CBC (Verizon FIOS, work on that!!!), I had not seen it until yesterday.

Great stuff. Campbell-Umberger makes it. So does an old black & white interview with Tim Horton at 2:20. And Chills when you hear the voices of the likes of Danny Gallivan and Foster Hewitt. (Don't know? Google 'em, kids)

By John Vogl

The Amerks host Toronto tonight in Game Three of their playoff series, and Rochester will try to avoid getting swept in the best-of-five. The Amerks will again turn to David Leggio in net after Matt Hackett started Game Two.

While I was in Rochester on Tuesday, Kevin Oklobzija of the Democrat and Chronicle asked Leggio about the team's dressing-room discussions in an attempt to gauge the Amerks' mind-set. He got an answer no one there is likely to forget. Take a listen below.

By John Vogl

ROCHESTER -- The Sabres' season is done, and their minor-league club can't afford another loss. Rochester is in a 2-0 hole to the Toronto Marlies, and Game Three of the best-of-five series is Wednesday night in Rochester.

Though the team is in trouble, the prospects are getting rave reviews from Amerks coach Chadd Cassidy. Here are his thoughts from today on forward Zemgus Girgensons, selected in the first round last year, and center Johan Larsson and goalie Matt Hackett, who were acquired in the trade that sent Jason Pominville to Minnesota.

Ted Black and Darcy Regier. (Harry Scull/Buffalo News)

By Mike Harrington

As you would surmise, I have been deluged with comments/questions/criticisms/attaboys/epithets and everything in between in the wake of yesterday's Sabres season-ending press conference. I read them all and regular followers of my Twitter feed know I do my best to answer as many legitimate requests/opinions as possible.

In this case, however,  that's pretty much impossible. But there have been many solid questions, many repeated times over, that it's probably best to answer them here. Some thoughts in no particular order:

---1). Ticket talk -- The No. 1 question people wanted asked was obviously the status of Darcy Regier and it was the first question asked and answered. By far the No. 2 inquiry was to demand answers about what in the world the Sabres were doing with a ticket price hike being announced in the face of a non-playoff year -- and with letters about the details arriving on Fan Appreciation Day.

After the presser, I got all kinds of crazy comments about people wanting to know why so much time was spent on tickets! Say what? The first thought is those people must not be ticket holders. The second is that Ted Black tied reasoning to the NHL CBA and the team was harshly criticized Sunday by the New York Post. We had similar concerns but held them until we could ask Black about them Monday. Black's insistence that the Sabres needed to qualify for revenue sharing brought more follow-up questions because it flew in the face of the owner's long-stated platform (since the owner doesn't speak to the media and thus the fans, I'm omitting his name here).