The Buffalo Sabres have just two weeks to go in the regular season, but their AHL affiliate will be hoping to play deep into the spring, as the Rochester Americans clinched a playoff spot with a 4-2 win over Springfield on Wednesday night. The Swedish trio of Isak Rosen, Anton Wahlberg, and Noah Ostlund each scored in the victory, and Devon Levi made 26 saves for his 23rd victory of the season.
Ostlund, who was named AHL Player of the Week last week, scored his in his sixth straight game and is third on the Amerks with 19 goals, prompting head coach Michael Leone to refer to the 2022 first-rounder as the club’s top center going into the postseason.
"Noah's play speaks for itself," Leone said. "He's earned the right to be our #1 center. Those guys, when you're in an environment of winning where winning matters, and we talk about it a lot, that's when development happens. You want your players to understand what it takes to win, and ultimately, that's ingrained in your players. Winning is important, and out there, it takes care of itself. You have to play winning hockey, and I think our guys have bought into that, and they understand what it looks like."
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The Amerks are second in the AHL’s North Division and still have an outside shot at the division title, as they trail the Laval Rockets by five points with seven games to go and host them next week. If they remain in second, their first-round opponent could be either the Toronto Marlies, Syracuse Crunch or Cleveland Monsters, who are all within three points in a battle for third place.
The Sabres will be closely monitoring the progress of their prospects in the Calder Cup Playoffs as they gauge whether they will challenge for NHL jobs next season. Rosen has had numerous cups of coffee in Buffalo but no real extended opportunity to play in a top-nine role. Ostlund may be destined for another season with the Amerks, with Jiri Kulich, Tage Thompson, Josh Norris, and Ryan McLeod playing up the middle with the big club. Levi has thrived all season in the AHL and may give the Sabres the confidence that he is ready to share or take the top job away from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen next season.
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