Ruff Tops Jack Adams Rankings, Sabres Surge

0:00It's March 31st, from the locker room to your ears. This is NHL News today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. Buffalo Sabers Coach Lindy Ruff grabs the top spot in the latest Jack Adams award rankings as of March 31st, with Tampa Bay Lightning's John. Cooper right behind at number two. Vegas Golden Knights just fired Bruce Cassidy almost three years after their Stanley Cup win, showing how quick things can change in the NHL coaching. Game. Colorado's Jared Bednar, who led these rankings most of the season, drops out of the top five entirely. Earlier this week, the Sabers are tying the Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes for the Eastern Conference lead, snapping a 14-year playoff. Drought. The longest in league history. Ruff turned around early job pressure into front runner status with smart management and minimal roster tweaks. Meanwhile, Cooper erased Tampa's rough two-win, four-loss, two-tie star in their first eight games, making them contenders again, despite never.

1:02Winning this award. Fans and analysts are buzzing about these turnarounds, especially with other Eastern coaches, like Martin St. Louis and Rick Tocket delivering. Surprises too. Rick Bownes has the Columbus Blue Jack as looking solid in just 29 games. The Islanders under Patrick Roy sit Tent over all and third in the Metro, thanks to Ricky Defenceman Matthew Schaefer and Goli Ilya Sorokin, while Roy maximizes their strengths for 42 wins. Number five is Roy with the Islanders fighting for playoffs. Boston's Ricky head coach Marco Sturm has the Bruins holding a wild card spot after last year's sell-off. Pittsburgh's Dan Mew's turn lottery favorites into Metro powerhouses, boosting vets like Eric Carlson and if Jenny Malkin, even without Sydney Crosby. At times, these rankings highlight how coaching can flip seasons, with Ruff as the betting favorite at minus 190 odds. Keep watching as the final seven games shake up the race.