It's no secret that the Buffalo Sabres have been playing really good hockey as of late. At the current moment, the Sabres are 24-15-4 and sitting in a wild-card spot. After going on a 10-game winning streak, Buffalo lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a disheartening game but have since won three games in a row.
They are in the midst of a five-game homestand as Buffalo hosts the Florida Panthers on Monday evening. Ever since hiring Jarmo Kekǎlǎinen, the Sabres have been the hottest team in the NHL. But Sabres fans have seen this movie before.
The fans have seen the team going on a long winning streak and falling back down to Earth, resulting in missing the postseason. While it's exciting to see the team performing so well and having more fans back in the building, it's fair to ask: Is this Sabres team any different or are they the same old Sabres?
Buffalo Sabres are showing serious signs of legitimate progress in Eastern Conference playoff pursuit
We still have a long way to go but something about this team just feels different.
Back in 2018, when they had their last 10-game winning streak, they were going to overtimes and shootouts mostly. There were a couple of times where they had to go past 60 minutes in this recent winning streak but it was mostly regulation wins, and they were hard-fought as well.
Head coach Lindy Ruff has this team playing good hockey, now they need to keep playing good hockey and not fall on their face like previous years. They are only six points out of first place in the division behind Detroit, which has 58 points. Buffalo has 52.
If the Sabres want to keep their winning ways going, Ruff and Kekǎlǎinen have to do their jobs as well.
Let's just say the Sabres are still in the hunt for the postseason when February and March get here. The new GM has to do something the old GM, Kevyn Adams, never did, adding on to get better and try to make a run. Again, this just feels like this is the year.
As I mentioned earlier, there is still A LOT of time until the playoffs start. This team though, the vibes are high right now. Let's hope they can keep the good times rolling because there is no better place to be when the Sabres are a good team.
Playoff hockey needs to be back in Buffalo, and it needs to happen soon.