Making a Statement

I'll admit it - I was nervous about this game. Very nervous.

This game was a true test for the Sabres. Calgary is a physically and mentally tough team that has the ability to pound its opponents into submission. Not to mention the fact that they have one of the greatest leaders in sports, Jarome Iginla, on their team.

The Sabres had faced what I saw as two tests last week and failed both miserably. Against two of the better teams in the NHL, they crumbled, and I was afraid that the same thing was going to happen tonight. In short, I was losing faith already, and I thought this game had the potential to be the nail in the coffin.

Was I excited to see Calgary, one of my favorite Western Conference teams? Was I excited to watch Iginla lead his team into HSBC arena?

Yes, I was excited, but I was also nervous.

Then, the puck dropped.

Though the team fell in a hole early (which I did not see because I was at work), they dominated the first period. Throughout the game, the team was physical with the Flames, proving that they would not be bullied. I especially enjoyed Goose taking on Phaneuf - not only because it was Goose but because it once again proved that this team (or at least definite players on it) is dedicated to standing up for one another.

Shootout wins are always especially exhilarating, but this was more than just a win. It was a true statement - to the other teams in the NHL, to the fans, and to me personally (the last of which I'm sure they care so much about).

This team is not going away quietly into the night, and I, for one, could not be happier.

The First One

This was the first one this season.

You all know what I'm talking about - the first game that looked like a loss but, miraculously, became a great win. This was the first great comeback this season, the first shootout win, the first game that really had my heart pounding and my hands shaking long after it was over.

It was even more than that, though. It was the first time this season that I've seen the Sabres this happy. I loved their enthusiasm after Tyler Myers poked the puck into the Lightning net. I loved how fast Miller got to their end to celebrate, how Hank practically leaped onto the pile, and how adorable Goose and Myers looked as they fell to the ice in the middle of it all. It was pure emotion out there, pure happiness - and that kind of thing only comes out after wins like that.

It was the first time this season that I was reminded why I love this team for reasons other than the goals they score and the ones they keep from getting scored on them. They looked like a family out there tonight - complete with a new little brother to love. They are so close as a group, and I love moments like that when it is visible - in all their adorably dorky glory.

I love wins like that for so many reasons, but, mainly, I love them because the team loves them. It's nice to sense passion in a team - for the game and each other. What I've liked about this season so far is that this team has not seemed to waver in either category.

Never Fails

I knew it was coming.

It seems like every time I go to the arena and see an ex-Sabre play, the find some way to rip my heart out. The last time it was Marty Biron shutting them out with the Flyers nearly a year ago.

Tonight, it was Max Afinogenov who responded to those harsh boos with a goal that left everyone around me saying the same thing: "Did that really just happen?"

Did Max really just successfully complete a rush without losing the puck?

Where was that the last couple of years when he was playing for us?

I honestly didn't expect it to happen. After Stafford scored, I was so busy hoping for the chance to pull the goalie that I forgot about that guy wearing #61 who is still fast and actually pretty decent at hockey. What's bad isn't that I didn't see it coming - it's that the Sabres didn't see it either.

I am officially 0-4 in first games I attend for the Sabres. I should have known this was coming. And I should have known it was Max who would keep my streak of bad luck alive. For all the frustration and pained shock that he put us all through the last few seasons, it was almost like poetic justice to feel those things again - only with him wearing another team's jersey instead.

Love him now, Atlanta fans - it's only a matter of time before those rushes become nothing to get worked up about...Until he goes to play for another team...

It Took Them Long Enough

The title of this post can refer to a number of things:

• The fact that it seemed to take the Sabres forever to really put the Islanders away tonight - I was honestly feeling scared until there was about a minute left in the third period. It's going to take sometime to get used to the idea that they can actually hold a lead this season.
• The feeling of relief that came from beating a team they were supposed to beat. It took a season, but I hope they're getting the hang of not playing down to their competition. Good teams win on nights when they aren't their best because they still find some way to compensate - and tonight the Sabres played like a good team in that regard.
• The notion that maybe the team is finally understanding that Ryan Miller needs to be defended when people try to push him around. It's nice to know that the lesson learned last season after the Gomez incident has gotten through to them - even if it did seem to take about 82 games too long to get the point last year.

Really, though, this post is talking about how long it took for Lindy and whoever else decides these things to give Paul Gaustad a letter. If there was any doubt about his ability to lead and step up when called upon, it should have disappeared tonight after he demolished Tim Jackman for bowling over Miller:

That was passion, pride, and a sense of responsibility to one's teammate on perfect display. It was everything I want in a leader, and everything this team needs on the ice that it lacked most games last season.

Yes, he's my favorite player, and I am so biased it's ridiculous when it comes to Goose. Still, I think it's obvious that what he did tonight is what a good leader does when his goalie - the heart and soul of his team - is interfered with.

I know most people want to talk about Tyler Myers or Jochen Hecht tonight, but, as it usually is, my attention has been on Goose. He may not have scored a goal, but he did something even more important to exorcise last season's demons from our minds. He saw a chance to stand up for his goalie and didn't back down. He showed character and heart - two things that are becoming more and more present in this group that had seemed to be missing them.

Tonight, he was a leader. He may have earned his "A" earlier, but tonight, he reminded us why it belongs on his chest.

What We Needed (and One Thing We Didn't Need)

After the torture that was Sunday's life-draining Bills game, Buffalo fans needed a lot of things to keep morale up for what was looking to be a long fall and winter for sports lovers in WNY.

Even if tonight was just one game, at least we have the Sabres to thank for giving us some of those things that our fan experience had been lacking recently:

• Offensive production
• Solid coaching and a good game plan
• Team tenacity
• The ability to beat a proven winner (or even a team that maybe wins some games every once in a while)
• Rookies who are actually used effectively and productively on the team
• A leader who makes a big play (or save) when it's called for
• Excitement - Buffalo fans just want to believe in something and feel passionate about something. That's hard to do with the passionless football being played right now, but it was a different story inside HSBC Arena tonight.

Tonight was an important night in my house - as Goose (my favorite) and Pat Kaleta (my dad's favorite) scored their first goals of the season. It's always a good feeling to watch the guy you cheer the hardest for put it in the back of the net, and I honestly thought I was going to have to wait a lot longer for Goose's first goal. Those post-goal high fives always feel the best when it's the guy on your jersey who just put your team up by another goal.

The only negative aspect of tonight's game was the loss of Thomas Vanek. Just as the team was finding its offensive stride, its star scorer goes down. I guess I'm just happy it's now instead of down the home stretch.

I know that this game could have been a fluke, but I was highly impressed with the product put on the ice tonight. It gave Buffalo fans something to really cheer about and thoroughly enjoy watching - which is something we could all use a little more of lately.

What I Want

Yes, I want Dick Jauron fired.

Yes, I want Trent Edwards to never see an NFL start again.

Yes, I want my fantasy football team to give points for penalty yards like hockey does for penalty minutes - because I'm taking the Bills offensive line with the first pick next year.

Yes, I want Poz back on the field if only to keep from seeing Jon Corto at starting linebacker.

Yes, I want another Sabres game as soon as possible to push this afternoon from my memory.

But more than any of these things - I want those three hours of my life back. Never have I ever felt so helpless, bored and apathetic during a Buffalo sporting event. I want to care so badly - they are my team after all - but I can't. Part of me hates myself for not caring, but a bigger part of me hates the organization that has me running from a team that I am genetically predisposed to love despite everything.

Apparently pathetic losses game after game trump genetics.

Thanks, Trent, Dick, and everybody else over at One Bills Drive - I guess you saved me a lot of heartbreak this season. Because of you, I no longer care enough to get upset.

And that has me more upset than anything.

No Words

Ashamed.

That's exactly how Trent Edwards should feel. How Dick Jauron should feel. How the entire Bills team should feel about the debacle that was today's sham of a football game.

I don't have anything else to say about this - except at least the Sabres lost in exciting fashion. I'm so glad it's hockey season so this team isn't the only one I have to watch.

Anyone else feel like they wasted so much time today watching and then fuming about such a pitiful performance? I can't expend anymore energy on the Bills - it hurts too much to be let down so often.