Leafs upend Sabres, 7-4

It was a back-and-forth third period, but in the end the Sabres didn't have enough as they opened the 2008 pre-season with a 7-4 loss to Toronto. (see previous posts for 1st and 2nd period scoring notes). Trailing in the third, Mark Mancari one-timed a Marek Zagrapan shovel past Justin Pogge to cut the Leafs lead to 5-3. Jaro Spacek also received an assist on the play. The Leafs would come right back short-handed, as a crashing Dominic Moore slid to the ice, in the process causing the puck to escape Jhonas Enroth and enter the net for a 6-3 Leafs lead. Jochen Hecht later buried a Drew Stafford pass to make it 6-4. A Toronto empty netter would end it. Zagrapan - 1 goal, 2 assists, -2 MacArthur - 2 assists, -3 Sekera - 23:00, 1 assist, -2 Weber - 20:41, EVEN Mancari - 1 goal, -3 Gogulla - 1 goal, -2 Card - 17:08, -3 Hunter -- Jhonas Enroth stopped 10 of 13 shots in relief of Ryan Miller, who stopped 8/11.

Funk suspended after brawl

Rochester D Mike Funk has been suspended for one game after accumulating his third general misconduct ejection after a brawl in Friday's 4-0 loss to Syracuse. From Kevin O's Rochester D&C article:

A scrap between Amerks winger Tanner Glass and Crunch defenseman Duvie Westcott sparked an 11-player brawl that led to the ejection of nine players, including Amerks goalie Tyler Plante. "That's more a season of frustration setting in," Amerks defenseman Mike Funk said. "It's something that needed to be done." There was no plan to fight, especially since the Amerks have no brawlers. But the brouhaha began when Glass gave a shot to Westcott with his stick. Westcott slashed him back, at which point Glass decided they would fight. "It was a complete two-hander that set it off," Amerks coach Randy Cunneyworth said after his club was shut out for the ninth time. Soon all players paired off. Funk enraged the Crunch when he tried to fight highly skilled centerman Derick Brassard. Brassard turtled and Funk, who rarely fights himself, ended up on top of the rookie. "That will be in the memory banks," Crunch coach Ross Yates vowed. Crunch thug Jon Mirasty, one of the toughest fighters in the AHL, had been paired off with Anthony Stewart, with the linesmen trying to break them up. Mirasty saw Funk punching Brassard and broke free and began throwing punches at Funk from atop the pile. Because Stewart was still being detained by a linesman, Plante left his crease to pull Mirasty away from the pile. He certainly didn't want to be paired off with Mirasty. A linesmen was between them as each threw a punch. "It was like hitting a brick wall," Plante said. "Obviously he's taken a punch before."

The Rundown: Zagrapan - 4 SOG Gragnani - 2 SOG, -1 Mancari - 3 SOG Whitmore - 1 SOG MacArthur - 1 SOG, -1 Funk - 15 PIM Weber - 12 PIM Dylan Hunter missed the game with a shoulder injury, while D Mike Card re-joined the team in full-gear for their Friday practice. Card isn't expected to play again this season, but it's an encouraging sign in his battle back from a pair of concussions.

The Butler, in the library, with the deal?

On Sunday, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post speculated on the future of Pioneers junior rearguard, Chris Butler:

Two big question marks, and a smaller third one, exist with the Pios. One, will junior defenseman Chris Butler be back? DU’s best two-way player had a nice summer camp with the Buffalo Sabres last year and will probably have a tough decision to make. If he stays, he’ll be the WCHA’s top D-man and possible team captain. I talked to him briefly about it after Saturday’s 6-2 loss to the Badgers, and he didn’t say much — other than the loss could inspire him to come back and give it another shot. But once he’s offered a contract and the Sabres present a plan for him next season, certainly the sting of the season-ending loss will be history. My take: 70-30 he signs.

Chambers says 70/30 he signs. I'll say 89/11. Other than winning a college championship, which is a dangerous motivator for a player reknowned as a "team guy", there isn't a whole lot left for Butler to prove in the WCHA. Of course, completing his education has to be a primary goal, but that can always be done over the offseason. Developmentally, the St. Louis native is good to go as a professional hockey player. Andrej Sekera is certain to be on Buffalo's blueline next season, and it looks like Mike Weber is on the verge of joining him. With a twice-concussed Mike Card engaged in rehabilitation, and still-defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani showing chops best served as a left wing, Mike Funk and Mike Kostka could be the only defensive prospects under contract for the Sabres AHL affiliate in 2008-09. (The recently signed Kostka will attend training camp after leaving his Amerks ATO to finish his UMass coursework.) Enter Butler, 21, and perhaps even 2006 first-rounder Dennis Persson. Butler would obviously be an early signing, while the Sabres are inside of 60 days away from a decision on Persson. 2007 picks T.J. Brennan and Drew Schiestel both would benefit from another junior season, and as 19-year olds, would have to make the Sabres roster outright (unlikely) since they won't meet AHL age requirements. Harvard sophomore Alex Biega and St. Lawrence junior Matt Generous are expected to return to college, while '07 Drew MacKenzie hasn't even glanced at his first campus co-ed. SabresProspects is still keeping tabs on unsigned Miami D Mitch Ganzak, who recently completed his senior season with the Redhawks after attending Buffalo's prospect camp over the summer - the same camp that put Kostka on the radar.

Amerks pick up where they left off

Rochester returned from the All-Star break Friday at the BCA, losing in overtime to Toronto, 3-2. The loss was the Amerks' ninth in a row, and 25th in their last 27 games. Down 1-0 at the end of two, Marek Zagrapan knotted the score 2:48 into the third. The Slovakian pivot took the return feed from David Brine on the give-and-go and deposited a shot over Justin Pogge's shoulder for his 15th goal of the season. Just over five minutes later, Mark Mancari would crash and bury a loose puck for an unassisted goal to give the Amerks the 2-1 lead. As is the case recently, the Amerks couldn't hold on to it. The Marlies would eventually tie the game, and later score off a turnover 1:20 into the extra session to seal the deal. Michael Funk didn't play tonight due to the infamous upper-body injury, and is out for at least a week. Mike Card remains out due to a serious concussion. The Amerks line: Zagrapan: goal Mancari: goal, 2 PIM Sekera: +1 Gragnani: +1 Weber: -1, 2 PIM Hunter: zeros Tomorrow afternoon, Rochester will attempt to beat the same Marlies club for the first time in seven tries.