Maybe I'm missing your point. He's not the reason the Sabres lost Game 6. Along the lines of what you're saying, Gary didn't make the call on Hull's goal. Or orchestrate anything else behind a curtain.
And as point of fact, the rules weren't changed during the playoffs. "Clarifications" were issued in the infamous March memo. Yes, the Sabres got the memo. As did everyone else, including the media.