The Buffalo Sabres are going to be going for history on Saturday afternoon when they play the Columbus Blue Jackets. With a win, they will be the first team in franchise history to have a win streak longer than 10.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for this team that now finds themselves in a playoff spot. There haven't been any changes to the roster, but a change in the front office seemingly has sparked this recent stretch of strong play.
Recently, Frank Seravalli was on Flames Talk and was asked about the Sabres' recent turnaround and he had this to say about what might be driving that.
"Well, it was a total shot in the arm and new energy, new everything, with the changing of the guard from Kevyn Adams being fired and replaced by Jarmo Kekalainen. Three of the nine wins came under the previous regime, so it's now six of the nine [Update: 7 out of 10] with the new regime, and it's every facet of what Buffalo is doing. Their players are more confident, they are battling harder," Seravalli said.
"As it was explained to me, quote, they couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel, and now they have a little bit of that view."
Seravalli specifically mentioned JJ Peterka as an example of a player who is no longer with the Sabres because they didn't see the vison for the team under Kevyn Adams. While Peterka was excellent in Buffalo, this is one trade that the team was happy they did because Josh Doan has been excellent, essentially matching Peterka's production, while also adding Michael Kesselring.
Players being bought in is great news for the Buffalo Sabres this season and long-term
The shift from Adams to Jarmo Kekalainen, as Seravalli notes, seems to have gotten full buy-in from the players. They are playing harder, and there is a belief with this group that they can not only play with anyone, but also dominate.
That was on full display against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night as the Sabres' forecheck didn't allow the Stars to do much of anything. What was more impressive was that they did that after they gave up a goal in the first 15 seconds of the game.
In past years, or even earlier this year, the confidence within the team would have quickly evaporated, and they wouldn't have been able to bounce back. Instead of letting it define them, they were able to put it behind them and control the remainder of the game as they scored four straight to secure the victory.
The recent success doesn't guarantee anything, and the Sabres are going to need to continue to play winning hockey to end their playoff drought. It will be interesting over the next few weeks to see what Kekalainen does, if anything, to this roster and if the players continue to buy into what he is trying to do as general manager.