The Toronto Marlies have been giving the Rochester Americans fits all season long.
On Saturday afternoon in Toronto, the Amerks brought their A-game to the Ricoh Coliseum.
For thirty eight minutes, the Amerks looked like they were ready to reverse the Toronto winning trend. Sabtres 2012 first rounder (14th overall) Zemgus Girgensons scored twice, while the "Grumpy Swede" Johan Larsson notched two assists in his first AHL postseason game. Veteran badass Cody McCormick scored the other Amerks goal.
David Leggio finished with 12 saves on 17 shots in the loss.
The Amerks badly out shot the Marlies 34-18.
Greg Scott scored four times for Toronto.
The Amerks are now 19-24 all-time in playoff series openers.
The score was tied 3-3, then Drew MacIntyre changed the tenor of the game with this gem of a save.
MacIntyre's behind-the-back glove save buoyed the Marlies and it allowed them to get into the garage tied 3-3 after 40. The Amerks won the second period and were on the attack at the time MacIntyre flashed his leather.
The Marlies would storm out of their room and then score three third period goals.
The Sabres players took their final physicals and conducted their season ending interviews this morning. This disappointing season has finally come to an end.
I didn't attend the clean out session as I am spending time with my family in the beautiful sunshine.
I want to thank my good friends at sabres.com for the use of their interviews from today's session.
Thomas Vanek is anxious to sit down with Sabres GM Darcy Regier. Vanek wants to know, once and for all what direction the team is heading in. Vanek cited the Montreal year-to-year turnaround as evidence of that a re-build can happen swiftly to make his team better. Sign a free agent here, trade a high-value guy for another difference maker there, cut some dead weight, and voila.
Vanek wants to stay in Buffalo. He has no idea if Regier and the Sabers want him to stay and to be a leader on the youngest roster in the NHL.
Vanek identified that he suffered a new abdominal injury, as well as a groin injury and a couple of bullet holes in his hip and abdomen from Christian Ehrhoff's point bombs.
Vanek says that he will play for his native Austria at the World Championships in Sweden next month.
Drew Stafford is in the same boat as Vanek and Miller right now. He has two years remaining on his four year contract, however, its hard to deny the trade talks that swirled around Stafford at the trade deadline this season. Stafford is the first to admit that he had a poor season, offensively and defensively. He was -17 and he struggled mightily for long stretches of time during the season. Does he expect to return to the Sabres next season?
Perhaps a change of scenery will do Stafford and his game some good.
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