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oranyone who spent school snow days shoveling off basketball courts and frozen ponds, not six hours playing PlayStation:

The Sabres’ recent stumble obviously didn’t help matters, but the playoffs are still within their grasp if they can avoid a disastrous finish. It’s not going to be easy considering tonight they start back-to-back games against Philadelphia and Washington, one team they’re chasing and another that’s chasing them.

By the looks of things, the Sabres will need to win at least 10 of their final 16 games to reach the postseason. Eleven of their final 16 opponents would make the playoffs if the season ended today. Tampa Bay is the only one of the remaining five teams that isn’t within striking distance of the postseason.

Buffalo has a 12-4-1 record against Philly since the lockout, including the 2006 playoffs, and a 2-0-1 mark this season. An optimist would say the Sabres were three points from catching the eighth-place Flyers. A pessimist would say the Sabres are only three points ahead of 12th-place Toronto.

If you’re wondering how Mike Krzyzewski reached 800 victories, look no further than his 800th win over the weekend. Duke trailed N.C. State for almost the entire game, including a 13- point deficit in the second half. The Blue Devils allowed three points over the final 3z minute 1/3 , took their only lead with 61 seconds remaining and won. Coach K’s secret was surrendering late decisions to his players, forcing them to determine the outcome on their own. It worked. Then again, his strategy usually does.

South Buffalo’s Patrick Kane is still the front-runner for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie, but Washington center Nicklas Backstrom isn’t far behind going into Wednesday’s game in Buffalo. The 20-year-old Swede has 56 points in 67 games while skating with winger Alex Ovechkin. If Backstrom were playing in a real hockey town, his would be a household name.

Bob Knight’s latest act of hypocrisy was joining ESPN as a basketball analyst after he spent years despising the media. This from the same guy who quit Texas Tech during the season after putting himself before his team, the very thing he stood against when he was choking players and throwing chairs. We’ll wait for Knight to ask coaches tough questions, the kind that would have ignited his bombastic personality.

Hank Steinbrenner hasn’t wasted much time proving he’s a loudmouth S.O.B. The Son of the Boss took a shot at Red Sox Nation last week while suggesting the universe revolves around the Yankees. By the way, do we really need to spend another summer talking about the great Yanks-Red Sox rivalry? It’s March, and it’s already grown tiresome.

Tiger Woods has pocketed $2.286 million in two tournaments this season. In 1996, Woods’ rookie year, Tom Lehman led the money list with $1.78 million in 22 tournaments. And Tiger wonders why skipping the PODS Championship this week was a big deal.

Who would have guessed in 1995 that Todd Collins would spend more time in the NFL than the man he replaced, Jim Kelly? Collins, a 13-year veteran, recently signed a three-year contract worth $9 million. He has 22 touchdown passes in his career, matching Kelly’s total in his first NFL season. If you remember, $3 million a year for Jim-bo once sounded absurd. I’m officially in training to become a backup quarterback or, even better, the Patriots’ punter.

Late, great White Sox owner Bill Veeck, presumably selling tickets outside Heaven’s Gate, figured to have an eternal hold on cheesy game promotions that have become the norm. The Rays sank to a new low. They looked at the possibility of signing Barry Bonds.