BUFFALO, N.Y. - What a difference a year can make. Last April at this point the Sabres limped into the playoffs, champions of their divison, only to lose in the first round to Boston. That certainly isn't the case now, as they come into Thursday's playoff opener against Philadelphia having played their way into the playoffs with some of their best hockey of the season.
"We don't have to get ramped up or geared up, we have already been there," goalie Ryan Miller said after Monday's practice. "Last year we almost had to flip a light switch because we weren't playing good hockey."
Miller is healthy and will start Thursday night for Buffalo, as will Thomas Vanek, who sat out Saturday's regular season finale and was not available during the playoffs last year with an injury. Vanek will be one of the key contributors for the Sabres if they are going to make a run this year.
"Those guys have to make a difference," Lindy Ruff said on Monday. "Thomas (Vanek), Drew Stafford, Tim Connolly, we need them to step up in big moments for us."
Up to this point, most of them have. It's led to an air of excitement in Western New York, one that is easily felt around the arena and inside of the Sabres locker room.
"Lot of people might have wrote us off and didn't think we'd be able to do it," Jason Pominville noted. "We showed a lot of character and right now we're playing some of our best hockey."
