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With their flickering playoff hopes in the balance, and the 8th place New York Rangers coming into First Niagara Center, there was little doubt. Buffalo gave up six straight goals en route to a hope-extinguishing 8-4 loss.

“It’s unexplainable, unexcusable,” said Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff. “That’s just the way our season went. Just like it did tonight.”

The Sabres held the Rangers in check for the first 18:42 of the opening period, but a Carl Hagelin goal opened the floodgates. Brad Richards would score 57 seconds later, and Ryan Miller would have one of the worst fuck-ups of his career, handing the puck to Ryane Clowe who made it 3-0 with less than four seconds left in the period.

“That’s one of the worst plays I’ve made while I’ve been here,” said Miller. “Just shitty timing.”

New York scored early in the second, with Anton Stralman and Brad Richards extending the lead, as the Rangers opened up a 5-0 lead in a span of 2:58 of play. Rick Nash made it 6-0 before Buffalo finally found the board.

Cody Hodgson, Nathan Gerbe, Drew Stafford and Mark Pysyk, with the first of his NHL career, scored for the Sabres, who are now officially relegated to watching the postseason.

Miller was pulled after the fourth Rangers goal, giving up four goals on 14 shots. Jhonas Enroth didn’t fare much better, stopping 11 shots and allowing four goals as well. Ryan Callahan also scored for New York, and Brad Richards finished the hat trick midway through the third period.

Thanks to the shitshow in Boston this week, the NHL postponed what would’ve been a trip to Pittsburgh to play the Pens tomorrow. Now, the Sabres are off until Monday. Time to let it sink in.

• Glad to see the media piling on game presentation for not referencing the fact the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings was caught. Could’ve been an emotional moment, huge missed opportunity. The crowd has been awful all season, and in a do-or-die game, they were even worse tonight. Everyone in that department deserves a pink slip based on performance alone. Letting this shit continue is just accepting below-average results.
• John Scott played 11:00 tonight. The man has not scored a goal since November of 2009. What did I just say about accepting below-average results again?
• Ron Rolston got fiery in his postgame press conference when an unnamed Buffalo News reporter who may or may not drive a white van offered some weak questions. Few media in the room desired to break it up. Can only speak for myself, but it was enjoyable.
• Andrej Sekera and Christian Ehrhoff were both -5, and that’s not so much a reflection of how bad they were, but just… yes, how bad they were. Lots of tough bounces and weak goals against (can’t blame them for the third goal), but they were not good.
• Congrats to Mark Pysyk on his first NHL goal. It was inevitable. He’s been one of the few positives on this team lately. His game is developing well, and he’s going to have a great career here. Disappointed to see that not one media member went up to ask him about it after the game. Other than Brian Flynn coming over to him and congratulating him, not sure who else did.
• Only plus players? Chad Ruhwedel and Mike Weber, both +1.
• Pretty incredible that tonight was Brad Richards’ first career hat trick. It’s not like the guy is a slob, he’s a goal scorer. He puts up points. Just never put three in the net in one night until tonight.
• Also on the Rangers, who the fuck voted for Ryane Clowe for the three stars? He got handed a goal by Miller and was largely invisible to me.
• Thomas Vanek did look like he was trying tonight. Early in the first, I was expecting a goal or two out of him. Ended up with nothing point-wise. Fuckin’ way she goes.
• Oh hey, let’s not forget Ryan Miller suggesting he’d like a trade after the game. That’s cool, huh?

3MI Three Star Selections (vote entered with about 7:00 left in 3rd period)
1. Brad Richards, NY Rangers
2. Ryan McDonagh, NY Rangers
3. Ryan Callahan, NY Rangers

Official Three Stars of the Game
1. Brad Richards, NY Rangers (Hat trick (10))
2. Ryane Clowe, NY Rangers (Goal (3), assist)
3. Rick Nash, NY Rangers (Goal (19), assist)

Quote of the night:

“For 19 minutes, I thought we played a tight game, back and forth, 5-on-5, and then we quit. It’s tough.” — Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek

With a split crowd thanks to legions of visiting fans in First Niagara Center, there was no home ice advantage, and the home team got crushed by the Montreal Canadiens in a 5-1 loss.

“That was an embarrassing loss,” said Sabres forward Cody Hodgson. “They played a lot better than we did and we, collectively as a group, didn’t match it.”

Buffalo got outplayed for the duration of the game, getting outshot 42-15, and after Rene Bourque opened the scoring 6:43 into the opening period, the outcome was never in doubt. Montreal would take a 2-0 lead on an Alex Galchenyuk goal moments later, and added two more in the second period.

Ryan Miller ended up getting pulled after 40 minutes, surrendering four goals on 32 shots. Jhonas Enroth would stop 9 of 10 he faced in the third.

Rookie Brian Flynn scored the only goal for Buffalo, his fifth of the season, while the team was shorthanded in the third. Montreal’s star defenseman P.K. Subban added a powerplay goal late to extend the final margin.

The Canadiens clinched a playoff berth with the win, while the Sabres are for all intents and purposes dunzo. The only race they’re in now is to the bottom.

• The Sabres got assessed a bench minor for abuse of officials near the end of the game. I don’t know if anyone asked what happened, but I at least appreciate the passion. That’s something.
• Steve Ott can’t get praised enough for what he does. He does everything he can to win. He’s got the right attitude and mindset, and if you look at the numbers, he does back it up. Seeing him in the locker room, full equipment still on, bruised and bloodied… as a fan, you can’t ask for more.
• As much as the team on the ice needs fixing, they got enough work to do off ice as well. Such a miserable place to see a game.
• Really taking a liking to Brian Flynn, which I’ve stated in here before, but I’ll reiterate it whenever I feel the need. I could handle a Flynn-Porter-somebody fourth line next year. He’s gonna need some time to develop, but the tools are there.
• Ryan Miller actually played quite well tonight. He got hung out to dry, and shouldn’t take much, if any, blame for the loss. Putting in Enroth was an act of mercy.
• Maybe it’s just me being weird, but twitter during games has been highly entertaining lately. Not as good as during Bills games come late October, but it’s up there. The bitching and snark is fantastic.
• Back to Flynn, speaking to him after the game, he seemed incredulous about what was going on. He’s in the NHL, living the dream, and all this despite the fact that the team is a mess and the atmosphere is toxic. I liked his attitude.
• The forwards in general were largely ineffective. I really think Thomas Vanek is going to struggle without Jason Pominville. He’s not just missing his chances, he’s not even getting as many looks as he used to.
• We talk and talk about making Buffalo “Hockey Heaven” but, you know, it sure as shit doesn’t look good when Hockey Night in Canada comes to town for an exclusive game and you get crushed in front of a dead crowd and the seats are empty before the end of the game. Who’s coming to play here by choice right now?
• Ron Rolston didn’t have many answers after the game. He was basically throwing his hands up in the air. With seven games left, I don’t see how they retain him in his current role for next season.

3MI Three Star Selections (vote never entered because we didn’t get passwords)
1. PK Subban, Montreal
2. Max Pacioretty, Montreal
3. Michael Ryder, Montreal

Official Three Stars of the Game
1. PK Subban, Montreal (PP goal (11), assist)
2. Michael Ryder, Montreal (2 assists)
3. Brandon Gallagher, Montreal (goal (12))

Quote of the night:

“It’s disappointing. Coaches do all the scouting, watch all the video and give us the best game plan we have possible, and it’s meaningless if we don’t show up and execute or compete.” — Buffalo Sabres forward Brian Flynn

The day started with a blueliner leaving the building, and it ended with the defense nowhere to be found.

In another episode of “This Team Is Not Good This Year,” the Buffalo Sabres blew leads of 2-0 and 3-1 en route to a 4-3 shootout loss to a Washington team they never trailed for a minute of the 65 played on the night.

Buffalo jumped out to an early lead on Christian Ehrhoff’s fourth of the season just three minutes into the game. Ville Leino would register his first of the season just 1:19 into the second to stretch the margin to two, before Washington star Alexander Ovechkin cut it in half just over a minute later.

Leino would add another midway through the second. And it was all down hill from there, starting with Troy Brouwer’s shorthanded goal early in the third period with American hero John Carlson in the box for the Caps.

“It’s disappointing,” said Leino. “That is a big goal to give up and after that they were fired up and wanted to win the game and that’s just things that shouldn’t happen.”

Mike Green would tie the game in the final minute with the extra attacker, and took the game in the shootout on goals by Matt Hendricks and the aforementioned Ovechkin.

Jhonas Enroth, despite stopping no shots in the shootout, was sensational for much of the 65 minutes before that, stopping 35 shots.

“No excuses for it,” said Ehrhoff. “We’re up 3-1 and put this game away and… we didn’t.”

• Drew Stafford, without being on the scoresheet, played a hell of a game. One of his best efforts in recent memory. Showed a lot of hustle and created some good opportunities. Maybe he knew the scouts were watching, but I had to get him a vote for three stars. He deserved it.
• You guys in game presentation can be done with the drumline anytime. You’re missing the point.
• Enroth has been stringing together some nice starts. While the wins aren’t piling up, it’s usually not due to poor goaltending. With a baker’s dozen of games left in the season, he should be getting a fair share, at least four or five of them. But that’s not considering what might happen by Wednesday.
• Tyler Myers was alright tonight by his standards, but I’m not sure it merited the team-high 28:13 TOI. Unless they’re showcasing him for the deadline? One blogger can hope.
• One of the perks of having a roster full of guys who aren’t plugs? You can roll four lines. Team low in ice time was Marcus Foligno at 9:03. He picked up an assist, too.
• Gonna go back to the drumline thing, because it’s really pissing the shit out of me. I know I tweeted about it too, but you’re up by a goal with about a minute left and the opponent takes a timeout. Why the fuck are you not blasting the loudest shit you can to a) invigorate the crowd, b) make it tougher for the other team to hear their coach tell them what to do and c) light a fire under the guys who have to kill the clock? No, let the pricks with the drums up in the 300 level pound away quietly, because it makes it feel all college-y and unique. The team deserves to lose when you’ve got people in your organization that fucking oblivious. Something needs to happen to end this garbage. Seriously.
• Ron Rolston’s press conference after the game was interesting. He looked as pissed as I’ve seen him, but he wasn’t angry or yelling. He was miffed. I don’t know if he actually would ever get to the point of yelling. Only this team could make that happen.
• Buffalo is now 5-0-4 when leading after the second period. That’s right. 44% of the games they lead after two get pissed away. Four points down the drain. Watch this team miss the playoffs by three. That’ll be awesome.
• Good for Nathan Gerbe dropping the gloves to stand up for a teammate. But, you know, maybe something better than seven points in 29 games would be cool too.

3MI Three Star Selections (vote entered around 6 minute mark of 3rd period)
1. Alexander Ovechkin, Washington
2. Ville Leino, Buffalo
3. Drew Stafford, Buffalo

Official Three Stars of the Game
1. Ville Leino, Buffalo (2 goals (2))
2. Alex Ovechkin, Washington (goal (17))
3. Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo (35 saves, 3 GA)

Quote of the night:

“We had a chance to win the game right to the end. And that’s the issue is we didn’t close out the game. Plain and simple, you have to win those ones.” — Buffalo Sabres forward Steve Ott

Only days away from the NHL trade deadline, the first domino has fallen at First Niagara Center.

Just hours before the Buffalo Sabres would drop the puck against Washington, the team announced they had traded defenseman Jordan Leopold to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for their 2nd round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, as well as a conditional 5th round pick in 2013.

The conditional pick is contingent on the Blues’ postseason success, as it is upgraded to a 4th round pick should St. Louis advance past the first round of the playoffs.

Leopold is in the last year of his three-year contract he signed with the Sabres as an unrestricted free agent in 2010. He registered 67 points in 174 games with Buffalo, and his 25 goals in Buffalo rank 18th among defensemen in franchise history.

“The first couple deals set the market,” [Blues GM Doug] Armstrong said on a conference call Saturday afternoon. “Pittsburgh set the market for defensemen when Murray went for a second [round pick] and I think a third that goes to a second based on a certain number of things…

“[Sabres GM] Darcy [Regier] might have been able to hold and see if the market goes up, but with that you’re always in the risk of an injury and getting nothing for the player. Everybody has to weigh the proper time for their team, and I know it was the proper time for us.”

It’s honestly a pretty solid deal considering the circumstances, and in hindsight, it probably shouldn’t be seen by future generations the team dumping him because he wasn’t good enough or performing. Over the course of his tenure here, Leopold acquitted himself quite well and was the solid second pairing defenseman they were looking for. At times, he was arguably the team’s most consistent performer on the blueline.

“He’s obviously a good player,” said Regier. “His contract’s up at the end of the year and where we are as an organization, where the team is, it’s an opportunity to get something that’s more focused on the future.”

In salute to his time here, it’s only fitting to relive maybe his biggest goal as a Sabre:

Sabres forward Steve Ott did score the game deciding goal, but he did a better job summing up the night in the locker room after the game.

“That’s fun,” said Ott.

Buffalo came back from an early 2-0 deficit to tie the game at three before the end of the second and held on in the third to get the game to overtime before they eventually downed the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 5-4 shootout win in front of 19,070 raucous fans, in both teams’ colors, at First Niagara Center.

“Honestly that’s easy energy you can take from the crowd,” added Ott.

The game got off to a wild start as Buffalo John Scott dropped the gloves with Toronto’s Fraser McLaren as Leafs tough guy Colton Orr tried picking a fight with Sabres pest Patrick Kaleta. Orr was booted from the game and Buffalo started off with a four minute powerplay which they failed to capitalize on.

Toronto would open up the scoring with two goals 1:16 apart just minutes later, beating Ryan Miller twice on five shots in the opening period. Tyler Ennis scored late in the period to cut the deficit to one.

The physical play continued to escalate throughout the game, and Toronto regained their two-goal lead on Mikhail Grabovski goal about nine minutes in. Buffalo would storm back on goals 0:45 apart by Marcus Foligno and Jason Pominville to tie the game, and then take the lead early in the third on a Christian Ehrhoff powerplay goal.

Leafs leading scorer Nazem Kadri would tie the game six minutes later, and except for a lot of hitting, the game was unresolved through 65 minutes of play.

“It was nasty and chippy and that’s the way it should be,” said Foligno.

Drew Stafford tallied in round 2 of the skills competition and Ott would score the shootout winner as Miller stopped 5 of 6 Leafs shooters, complementing his 30 saves through regulation and overtime.

Buffalo, with the win, sits just four points out of 8th place with 17 games remaining. Just when you thought they were out, they suck you right back in.

• John Scott, as much as he gets bashed, may have had his most effective game as a Sabre in 3:02 of ice time. He was able to bait Leafs forward Phil Kessel into a coincidental minor, which is a trade you take any day. And he had some fun after the game.
  
• Marcus Foligno always seems to step his game up when they play Toronto. Not just on the scoresheet (has six points in six career games) but as a physical presence. Makes you wish they played the Leafs more often.
• The drumline in the arena looks dumber and dumber each game. Yes, having someone lead chants is great until they stop, and then everyone else does. You’re creating sheep instead of putting the onus on the fans to make their own noise. Band-aid over a bullet wound.
• Ryan Miller allowed four goals, but honestly, was really, really good. I don’t think he can be at fault for either of the first two Leafs goals. He made the saves in the third period and overtime that he needed to. He made the saves in the shootout. He put them in a position to win.
• Looking like a rookie, Mark Pysyk looked really shaky early in his home debut. He lost track of Kadri on the second Leafs goal. But after that, he settled in and didn’t look too bad, and even had a nice shift in overtime. Even if he goes back soon, I like what I see out of him.
• Can Steve Ott get a letter already? He’s already becoming one of the go-to-guys in the locker room. Leads by example on the ice with passion. He’s becoming what we hoped for when we acquired him.
• After Ott scored in the shootout, Cody Hodgson jumped off the bench to celebrate the win… only problem was that Toronto still had to shoot. Drew Stafford was slapping the boards, cracking up on the bench.
• Hodgson had a great game too. His shift with Pominville after the Foligno goal was masterful, just dancing around the Leafs defense. Pominville scored to tie it and momentum was in Buffalo’s favor. Looked really strong on the puck and made some nice plays. He’s developing into a low #1/high #2 center quite nicely.
• Christian Ehrhoff was fantastic. 27:01 TOI, huge powerplay goal, two assists. Guy’s a steal at $4 million.
• That was a fun hockey game to watch. Building was fun. Wish they had people here that could make it feel like that more often.

3MI Three Star Selections (vote entered around 6 minute mark of 3rd period)
1. Nazem Kadri, Toronto
2. Tyler Ennis, Buffalo
3. Christian Ehrhoff, Buffalo

Official Three Stars of the Game
1. Christian Ehrhoff, Buffalo (goal (3), 2 assists)
2. Nazem Kadri, Toronto (2 goals (13), assist)
3. Tyler Ennis, Buffalo (goal (9), assist)

Quote of the night:

“I guess you’re not allowed to blow guys kisses on the ice, it’s offensive.” — Buffalo Sabres forward Steve Ott

At least the whole country got a taste of this mess.

In a battle of two struggling teams trying to maintain any semblance of playoff hopes, it was the Capitals who walked away with two points and the Sabres walking away with a 5-3 loss in our glorious global superpower nation’s capital.

Searching for another strong start, Buffalo was able to keep the Capitals off the scoreboard for a respectable 19 seconds, as legendary hockey GM Mike Milbury’s favorite player, Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring. That was actually the high point of the first period, which was an overall craptacular period of hockey.

Buffalo would tie it just 12 seconds into the second period, as Cody Hodgson scored his 11th of the year. Washington came back with three straight before Brian Flynn scored his third to make it 4-2 after two.

Hodgson would add another in the third to cut the deficit to one before Washington’s Mathieu Perrault added an insurance marker for the Caps, who jump the Sabres in the Eastern Conference standings. The Sabres now sit in 14th, while the Caps move up to 13th.

Ryan Miller made 20 saves for Buffalo.

• Mark Pysyk looked pretty solid in his NHL debut. Really came out calm and make some smart plays in the first. He looked bad on the fifth goal, but that was really his only hiccup in 14:55 of TOI.
• The game Steve Ott played tonight is the game you really want out of him when he’s not scoring. He was a pest all night, drew a couple penalties and really was all up in Washington’s shit. He didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he was effective.
• Personally, I would’ve gone with Jhonas Enroth in goal tonight. His last performance merited another start. This was the best situation you could ask for. Don’t know when he gets in again. Maybe on the Florida road trip?
• Ryan Miller had some tough comments for Patrick Kaleta after the game. Kaleta was upset about being a scratch. Miller didn’t like him bitching about it in the media. I can say I like what both had to say. Kaleta should be pissed he’s not playing, but he deserved to sit after costing the team a game. But Miller isn’t a bullshitter, and his honesty is refreshing. Dude’s gotta deal with it.
• That Hodgson-for-Kassian deal is looking better by the day.
• Brian Flynn is doing a hell of a job carving out a roster spot for himself. Guy is a finisher. Some people have it, some people don’t. He has it.
• The team misses Andrej Sekera when he’s not in the lineup. For sure. Such a steady presence on the blueline.

That’s all I got right now. This team isn’t good.

Their opponent had limited quality scoring opportunities and good work in the offensive zone gave them a solid 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. But this is the 2012-2013 Buffalo Sabres.

Ottawa stormed back in the second period with three goals, and scored the winner in overtime as they defeated Buffalo by a score of 4-3. Kyle Turris won it with the Senators enjoying the extra man thanks to a Christian Ehrhoff penalty halfway through the extra period.

The Sabres salvaged a point thanks to a third period equalizer by Drew Stafford, who scored his second of the game with approximately eight minutes left. It was his second of the game, doubling his season goal total.

“We gave them a point tonight,” said defenseman Mike Weber, who tallied his first goal of the season. “It’s extremely upsetting. I don’t know what else to say.”

Goals by Patrick Wiercioch, Chris Phillips and Kyle Turris turned the game around for Ottawa, who outshot the Sabres 15-9 in the second. Buffalo, by virtue of the point earned in overtime, temporarily moved into 12th place in the East.

Ryan Miller stopped 30 shots in the loss.

“We’ve got to put together a hell of a stretch here just to have a chance to get in the playoffs. To go to sleep there for 20, it’s extremely disappointing,” said Weber.

• Ville Leino looked really good in his season debut. He picked up an assist on the Weber goal, and was in position to get a piece of it on its way through. It’s hard to gauge how his absence has effected the team. As much as he draws the ire of many, the team is better with him than without him.
• Not sure I’d have called it “interference,” but Christian Ehrhoff definitely earned that penalty in overtime.
• Hopefully, Drew Stafford gained some confidence with his two goals. He earned them how he should be earning them regularly: going to the front of the net and getting pucks on goal. If anyone could use a little hot streak, it’s him.
• The Leino-Ennis-Ott line looked really good overall, especially in the first period. Each player adds a different dynamic. Sometimes those are the most effective lines.
• If this team was really competing for a playoff spot, losing Andrej Sekera would be a big blow. But they’re not, so it’s not that big of a deal. He was only on the ice for 15:39 Saturday and missed time due to an injury.
• There’s few things that make me cringe as a fan of this team, but seeing Daniel Alfredsson with the puck winding up for a shot from the point on the powerplay is one of them. The old man has a cannon and it can be devastating. Can’t wait until that prick retires.
• It’s nice to see Rolston roll four lines in the truest sense of rolling four lines. The team low on TOI was Nathan Gerbe, at 11:06. Everyone was deserving of the shifts they got.
• The Flynn-Porter-Foligno line that has been going so well lately didn’t have as strong of a game as they have been. I did like Kevin Porter and Brian Flynn on the penalty kill. If Flynn can become a defensively reliable player, he’ll have a roster spot.
• There was talk from some that maybe John Scott should’ve played to keep Ottawa’s Matt Kassian in check. Scott was scratched and Kassian played just 3:21.
• Chris Neil is a piece of shit. His targets during the game were 5’5″ Gerbe (both went to the box for two minutes) and 5’11″ Porter, who Neil laid out with a big hit. Robyn Regehr eventually went after him, but the guy picks his spots like no other.
• Getting people with drums in the arena to start chants and stuff is an honorable effort to try something different, but those assholes shouldn’t just be hammering away at their drums to the tune of something incoherent during play. Stupid.

3MI Three Star Selections (vote entered around 6 minute mark of 3rd period)
1. Drew Stafford, Buffalo
2. Patrick Wiercioch, Ottawa
3. Kyle Turris, Ottawa

Official Three Stars of the Game
1. Drew Stafford, Buffalo (2 goals (4))
2. Kyle Turris, Ottawa (2 goals (7), assist)
3. Patrick Wiercioch, Ottawa (goal (4), assist)

Quote of the night:

“Hopefully, we learned a lesson.” — Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller

First thing they did was send Mikhail Grigorenko back to Quebec, his junior team in the QMJHL. Then, Darcy Regier got his trade shoes on.

Defenseman T.J. Brennan, who’s struggled to get in the lineup all season, was dealt to the Florida Panthers in exchange for New Jersey’s 5th round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Brennan, 23, had played in just 10 games with the Sabres this season, registering a goal in a loss to Carolina on March 5. He registered just one goal in 11 NHL games last season well, when he scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game against Boston on Thanksgiving Eve 2011.

The offensive production expected of him never consistently materialized at the NHL level. He had been tearing it up in the AHL, with 14 goals and 35 points in 36 games this season before the lockout ended and he was forced to be recalled to the NHL due to his contract. While other players were safely waived and reassigned, Brennan, who was the Amerks’ leading scorer and one of the top scoring defenseman in the AHL, had no chance of clearing despite not being able to crack the top six in Buffalo.

In the end, Regier decided it was time to cut the cord and either waive or trade him, and they got a draft pick in return instead of letting him go for free.

Brennan was the Sabres’ top pick in the 2007 draft, being selected 31st overall with the first pick in the second round. That pick was acquired from Philadelphia before the 2007 trade deadline in exchange for pending UFA goalie Martin Biron.

After spending three seasons in junior (one season each with three different clubs, oddly), he turned pro, spending two seasons with the Sabres’ affiliate in Portland and then parts of the last two in Rochester.

Being an offensive defenseman who never got it together, fittingly enough, he will go play with a former Sabres offensive defenseman who was given time to develop… Brian Campbell. Looking at their career progressions, they’re almost identical. Go play junior until age 20. Sign with the Sabres, and get three seasons in the AHL before getting called up. Be incredibly inconsistent and fail to put it together for your first few seasons in the NHL.

But this is where the road has now been divided. At age 23, Brennan is gone. At age 23, Campbell played 65 games on an awful 2002-03 Sabres team. He never became the defenseman known as Brian Campbell, always hanging around at the bottom of the roster, until 2005-06 at age 26 in his 7th pro season.

It’s highly unlikely Brennan becomes the All-Star that Campbell was. They’re both fairly different players. But clearly Darcy Regier did not think highly enough of him to wait around and find out.

The next question is whether this move is the harbinger of things to come. With two and a half weeks until the NHL trade deadline,  there’s plenty of reason to think there is.

Now, in memoriam, a sampling of Brennan’s best work in Buffalo.

On the ice, well, that’s why they actually play the games, right?

Jhonas Enroth, starting for the ill Ryan Miller, was sensational on the night, stopping 32 shots to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers. It was Enroth’s first win since November 26, 2011.

“I felt very confident and I had control of every shot,” said Enroth. “I didn’t give up any bad rebounds and stuff like that, so it was pretty much a perfect game for me.”

Buffalo got two goals from Marcus Foligno and the game winner from, surprise, Thomas Vanek.

Even after surrendering the first goal, yet another shorthanded marker scored by Rangers forward and fine American Derek Stepan, Buffalo kept their composure for the most part. Foligno scored moments later to tie the game, and Vanek added what would be the winner with just over seven minutes remaining in the second.

Foligno tallied the insurance marker with about eight minutes to go in the third, banging in a rebound in front of the net. The Sabres, who rocket up to 27th in the NHL standings with the win, would hold on despite getting outshot 18-3 in the final 20 minutes.

Hey, a win is nice every once in a while.

• Andrej Sekera was fantastic for the Sabres. Great with the puck, made smart and confident plays. Picked up two assists, but those weren’t even his best plays of the night. Overall great game from the Slovak, who played 21:48 of great hockey.
• Brian Flynn and Kevin Porter may be earning themselves spots on the team. It’s obvious the team may be looking to deal at the deadline, and right now, these guys may be locked in for the remainder of the year if they keep this up. Flynn had an assist and Porter is showing more and more dependability. They bring what you need out of your bottom six.
• Really shocked that the officials didn’t try to even out the penalty calls in the third period. New York ended up with just one opportunity, where they obviously didn’t score.
• On the drums/drumline the Sabres brought in: says a lot that they’re resorting to crap like this yet still can’t fix the core issues with the atmosphere. This is like Rolston trying to break a losing streak by throwing John Scott on the top line. Rearranging deck chairs. Getting a drum in the arena is great, but it’s on the fans to do that. You can’t force that shit. And the continued drumming during play, especially powerplays, well, that’s pretty fucking stupid.
• You know, Jochen Hecht hasn’t been awful the last couple games. Regier may actually be able to trade him.
• Mikhail Grigorenko had one shift in the second and zero in the third. When Leino and Ennis are healthy, they’re going to have some tough choices considering how well the Flynn-Porter-Foligno line is going. Worst case scenario, he might actually get to skate with talented players.
• Henrik Lundqvist’s kick save sequence in the first period was ridiculous. Bad finishing by the Sabres, sure, but Lundqvist was with the play the whole time. He’s kinda good.
• By the way, John Scott did play more than five minutes. 5:01, actually.
• When Thomas Vanek turns on the nitro-boosters, it’s magic. He blew past Dan Girardi and walked in alone on Lundqvist. Henrik had little chance.
• The Sabres now have three full days off before Saturday’s matinee against Ottawa. Schedule doesn’t seem so “compressed” right now.

3MI Three Star Selections (vote entered around 6 minute mark of 3rd period)
1. Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo
2. Andrej Sekera, Buffalo
3. Marcus Foligno, Buffalo

Official Three Stars of the Game
1. Marcus Foligno, Buffalo (2 goals (3))
2. Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo (32 saves, 1 GA)
3. Andrej Sekera, Buffalo (2 assists)

Quote of the night:

“I thought we stunk and I’m not going to give Buffalo any credit. Well, I will give their third line credit. They outplayed our top players and that can’t happen.” — New York Rangers coach John Tortorella