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The Thaw: Sabres Top Red Wings |
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Jeff Skinner’s goal against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night resulted in a seismic shift.
In some ways, it was a relatively forgettable tally on the scoreboard which merely put the Sabres up 2-0 against a division foe in an unremarkable, late-December home game. Still, inside, something shook loose, like a glacial shelf plunging into the ocean. Seeing Skinner celebrate his goal in those awesome black Goathead jerseys jarred a thought loose:
This is fun again.
A palpable energy of excitement exuded from the full house of Sabres fans who packed the KeyBank Center to see their home-town team improve on a four-game win streak. Perhaps in a more intangible way, the fans who showed up wanted something to cheer for in light of the horrible devastation wrought by the Christmas blizzard this past weekend. In any case, Don Granato's Sabres gave the crowd plenty to cheer for en route to a 6-3 win over Detroit.
Even as things got tight late in the game, and the Wings clawed within two goals, it was enjoyable. When Kyle Okposo sealed the 6-3 win with his third goal of the night, though, it became evident that classic Sabres hockey has returned in the best way possible.
These blogs aren’t meant to be about me, obviously. This blog is about the Buffalo Sabres. I make a concerted effort to put the team in focus and avoid interjecting myself into the story because, again, the focus is on the Sabres, but if you’re anything like me, then you can feel the vibe around this team start to change.
And this feeling is undeniably, unbelievably great.
Following the Skinner goal, it felt like a veil was lifted for the first time in years, and I felt something that I forgot could exist: a genuine sense of excitement for the Buffalo Sabres. The vitriolic anger that I’ve been carrying around as a result of the team’s NHL-record 11-year playoff drought melted away as Skinner potted his 17th goal of the season, and in its place, a feeling of optimism sprouted. It’s an odd sensation to realize the weight of an unseen force lift off your shoulders during such a mundane, everyday moment.
I’ve watched a decade-plus of absolutely brutal Sabres hockey. I’m 32 years old, and the last time the Sabres played a playoff game, I couldn’t legally drink a beer at the arena. The weight of that failure has often colored my perception of the team over the past two-and-a-half years while Don Granato, Kevyn Adams and company attempted to steer the S.S. Sabre away from yet another spectacular crash along the banks of the Buffalo River. During their tenure, it’s often been difficult to buy into the idea that the Sabres are actually different this time; that for the first time in a decade, Lucy isn’t going to pull the football away from Charlie Brown at the last moment and send him careening into outerspace.
Living within that sense of impending doom and dread leads to criticizing even the most minor, inconsequential decisions of the Sabres. The learned behavior of defeat teaches you that every decision of this failure-steeped team is almost surely going to backfire in a spectacular fashion, despite evidence that perhaps this time things could be different. It’s not a fun place to live.
I’ve covered this team through perhaps the singular worst time in the franchise’s history as former head coach Ralph Krueger nearly ruined everyone, and as Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and others asked to get the hell out of Dodge before they lost their will to play hockey. There have been numerous times where I’ve questioned why I’m watching these games anymore, let alone why I wrote about them. Sometimes I felt like I was viewing these contests just to punish myself. There were times when I not only no longer wanted to write, but I no longer wanted to watch any Sabres game ever again.
Those dark days are over.
We’re past that.
Let’s get one thing clear: I’m not here to tell you that this team will make the playoffs. There are no guarantees in sports and there always exists the potential of having your heart broken. The Sabres are in an absolute dog fight for probably only one wildcard playoff spot with five-or-six teams legitimately fighting for that position. What I am here to tell you is this: Don Granato’s team is worth watching as the highest-scoring team per game in the NHL.
They are fun to watch.
There are so many great storylines for this team:
- Tage Thompson is the league’s most unlikely superstar
- Rasmus Dahlin has finally harnessed his potential
- Jeff Skinner has clawed his way out of irrelevancy
- Alex Tuch is Buffalo personified
- Captain Kyle Okposo has persevered through unbelievable adversity
The list could go on and on. Watching the exciting and energetic trio of Dylan Cozens, Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka makes the misery of the past decade feel like a distant memory. So, for the first time in what feels like a generation, fans can take pride in their team again, whether they win or lose, because Sabres hockey is finally fun.
This is enjoyable again.
We're back.
Buffalo Sabres Blogger • 
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