do you love this team now?

of course not...i think...we've been through this movie before, had a sense that something's changed and that the sabres would play to their capabilities, if not individually, then collectively, on a consistent basis...

but...

jason pomminville "roaring" to the net
for the go-ahead/game-winning goal

two very impressive games on the road vs. carolina and east-leading philadelphia...three out of a possible four points...add in the two points that ryan miller stole vs. the ny rangers, and it's one helluva start to their seven-game road trip...

not to take away anything from the rangers and canes games, but this win vs. philly on the road was just plain impressive:

• three unanswered goals in the second period in a span of less than four minutes to erase a two-goal philly lead
• rick jeanneret saying things like "andrej sekera would not be denied! he just kept his nose to the grindstone!"..."jason pomminville roaring to the net deflects it home!"
• the pomminville goal giving buffalo the lead after the flyers tied the game on a short-handed goal
• paul gaustad venomously going after chris pronger in a prolonged scrum around the flyers net
• pomminville and shaone morrison going after kris versteeg after versteeg's post-whistle poking at ryan miller
• winning this game without a bonafide #1 or #2 center...again...still
• nhl on the fly pointing out that the sabres scored four goals by going to the net

paul gaustad seems to have re-discovered
physicality and edginess

did the flyers play their best hockey?...no...but their forecheck was there, as usual...they had the opportunity to bury the sabres and didn't get it done...

this sabers win, clearly the best of the season thus-far, was...well...very un-sabres-like...

this was a situation that they've found themselves in on many, many occasions over the past three-plus seasons...and most of the time they folded...

is it the pegula-effect?...4-0-2 since he declared that "the reason for the existence of the buffalo sabres is to win the stanley cup"

is it the roy(less)-effect?...17-8-4 with roy out of the line-up

is it the road?...10-2-2 this calender year (11-3-2 since roy's injury)

whatever it is, fans will jump behind a winner, and right now, this team is winning...

i've often stated over the last three-plus seasons that i don't have an emotional attatchment to this team...to individual players?...yes...but as a team they don't come close to any of my favorites over their existence...

right now, they deserve all the respect in the world for what they've accomplished thus-far this calender year...big props for yesterday's win in philly while in the heat of a playoff race and for keeping their composure in the face of in-game adversity...

do i love this team?...mmmmmm...probably not...but i do like the edge they've been playing with...i do like the fact that they don't seem as fragile as they have in the past...and who wouldn't like the outcome from yesterday's game at philadelphia?

maybe this team, as it's presently constructed, is growing on me a bit...sure, because of the outcome, but moreso because of the way they're playing

patty k looks up from the net after getting leveled
tyler ennis scored on that play