Kevin Hoffman – USA TODAY Sports
While the Buffalo Sabres’ season may be over, some of the team’s top prospects are still playing, as the Rochester Americans are in the AHL playoffs. Mikhail Grigorenko, Brian Flynn and Mark Pysyk are a few of the names on the Americans roster that will be familiar to Sabres fans, as they all spent time in Buffalo this season. Things aren’t off to a great start for the Americans either, as they trail the Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs) 2-0 in the best-of-five first-round series.
Grigorenko did not play in the first game of the series, but did get in for the second to make his AHL debut. The Sabres could never quite figure out what to do with the talented Russian this season, and may have missed a big opportunity by not letting him develop with the Americans and instead seeing him scratched multiple nights in Buffalo. The Sabres’ 2012 first round pick, Zemgus Girgensons, has been the best player for the Americans so far, as he notched two goals in the series opener. That’s already a third of his regular season production, which could be a sign for the Sabres that he has finally adjusted to the North American game.
Goaltender David Leggio struggled in the opener, which led to Matt Hackett getting the start in game two. Hackett came over in the trade that sent Jason Pominville to the Minnesota Wild, and won all three of his regular season starts for the Americans while posting a 1.62 goals-against average. Game three is set for Wednesday night, and Sabres’ brass will no doubt have their eye on the contest, as they watch to see if their prospects can overcome long odds to extend the series.
Jonathan Katje is an NHL senior writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your circles on Google Plus.
