Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres remain alive in their quest for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs following a win on Monday night over the New York Rangers.
According to MoneyPuck.com, the Sabres' playoff chances have increased to 2.2% after being at just 0.4% before Monday's 3-2 shootout win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Buffalo will need to win out the rest of the schedule, while also getting some outside help in order to snap their 11-season playoff drought.
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Despite being thought of as dead in the water with their playoff chances, the Sabres haven't gone out of this battle without a fight, going 7-1-1 in their last nine games. They sit at 87 points in the Eastern Conference standings, four points back of the final Wild Card spot with three games left to play in the final week of the regular season.
The Sabres now have another tough task on Tuesday night with a matchup against former head coach Lindy Ruff and the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Devils are fighting for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, looking to clinch home ice for, at least, the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Sabres head coach Don Granato feels playing four games in five days could be an advantage for his team. He says playing games in a short timeframe can keep his team in a rhythm heading into the final week of the season.
During this recent stretch of successful hockey for the Sabres, rookie netminder Devon Levi has been able to take control of the Buffalo goal. Granato has been monitoring Levi's assimilation into the NHL level, and wants to make sure he's been comfortable to take the net going forward.
"I was excited to get him in there after seeing him and getting to know him over the last year-and-a-half or so," said Granato on Tuesday during his appearance on the "Jeremy White Show" on WGR. "Then a couple of days ago, I was asked by one of the media members, considering my philosophy, I would assume you'd want him in there to get experience.' I said, 'That is part of my philosophy, but now's not the time for warm and fuzzy. He's gonna go in there not because I want him to gain experience of this, he's gonna go in there because he's earned it.' It's not going to be a gift of mine for any player, at this point of the year, at this point of the situation. You coach much, much differently to situations and circumstances."
Granato also feels in this situation with coming towards the end of the season, Levi could play in more back-to-back outings.
"When you're in Game 32-to-42 of the season, you've got 50 more games. Guys can't go through the wall every day, nobody in the NHL does or can," he said with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase. "Now, you can completely deplete a tank, because there is not 50 more games left. But you can't do that and risk injury after injury on your lineup. You've got to use everybody to get through the 82 games, the marathon, people like to say. Now it's a sprint, so the best guys are gonna get the ice time. There is no tomorrow when you're dealing with minimal games."
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After Tuesday's matchup with the Devils, Buffalo will finish off the regular season schedule with another back-to-back series against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday at home, followed by the regular season finale in Columbus against the Blue Jackets on Friday.
You can listen to the entirety of Granato's appearance during the "Jeremy White Show" available in the player below:
