BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — It was homecoming week in Buffalo, giving Lindy Ruff a chance to reminisce about the franchise’s storied past and provide a glimpse of what just might be a bright future.
Among the laughter and stories Sabres’ winningest coach shared with members of the 2005-06 team and the bottle of Russian vodka he received from Maxim Tandiogenov, Ruff couldn’t help but make a connection with his current squad.
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“You heard Danny Briere talk about the team and how it came together,” Ruff said of the former co-captain and now Flyers general manager delivering a message over a montage of highlights celebrating the past and broadcast on the video scoreboard Thursday night.
“And I really think that our team was put together like that. We became a united group,” he added, after a 5-3 victory against Montreal. “Some of those memories and seeing some of those highlights, I thought our game tonight was a lot like 2005.”
Although these Sabers still have a lot to prove, it’s starting to feel like 2005-06 all over again.
Two years after declaring bankruptcy in 2003, a high-profile team emerged from the NHL lockout by advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing Game 7 to eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina.
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Playoff drought
After nearly two decades of neglect, reconstructions failed one after the other, record 15-year NHL playoff droughtand a coaching carousel booked by Ruff who was fired in 2013 and returned 11 years later, the Sabers are showing signs of being relevant again.
Since rallying to a 4-3 overtime win in Edmonton on Dec. 9 and a general manager change with Jarmo Kekalainen replaces Kevyn Adams a few days laterBuffalo has won 15 of 17.
With a 26-16-4 record, Buffalo entered Friday tied with Boston in sharing the East’s two wild card spots in a hotly contested race with seven points separating the Sabers and 15th-ranked Columbus Blue Jackets.
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This isn’t the first time the Sabers have had a surge before following a long slump. And yet, leading scorer Tage Thompson believes this year is different because of the consistency Buffalo has shown and its ability to bounce back from losses.
“I think it’s the most fun I’ve had here in my entire career,” said Thompson, whose eight-season tenure in Buffalo is the longest and rivaled only by captain Rasmus Dahlin.
“We have something really good going on and it doesn’t seem manufactured,” he added after a three-goal, five-point outing against Montreal. “It seems real. And I think everyone in the room believes it too.”
The Sabers showed composure in recovering from deficits. Buffalo is tied for fourth in the NHL with 12 wins when trailing at any time, including overcoming a 4-1 deficit in a 5-4 overtime win at Detroit in November.
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Slow starts are no longer a problem, with Buffalo going 18-2-1 when scoring first.
A buzzing building
The fans are starting to believe it. The Sabers have sold out four of their last seven home games, after doing so just three times in their first 17. a chorus of “Fire Adams” chants were replaced with “Let’s go, Buffalo!” »
Forward Jordan Greenway, in his third full season in Buffalo, became a believer after being skeptical every time someone informed him of how the arena would shake with near-deafening cheers during the Sabres’ heyday.
“To be honest, it’s a completely different experience,” Greenway said. “When you have that, compared to 11,000 people booing you, it brings a completely different element. It’s fun. And the guys start to believe it and want to keep experiencing it.”
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The new buzz hasn’t been lost on Jason Pominville, the forward who experienced the highs playing for the Sabers from 2004 to 2012, and the lows closing out his career in Buffalo from 2017 to 2019.
“It’s been great to see the turnaround and how hot the team has gotten,” Pominville said, comparing the raucous atmosphere of a Bills home game in the NFL.
“And I’m happy for Lindy that they changed the situation,” he added. “How nice would it be for him to be the last coach to take the team to the playoffs, and now to bring them back.”
The Sabers haven’t made the playoffs since the Ruff-coached 2010-11 team lost Game 7 of a first-round series to Philadelphia. And they haven’t advanced in the playoffs since a second-round win over the Rangers in 2007.
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Even as Ruff refuses to get ahead of himself by reminding players to stay in the present, the 65-year-old coach has allowed moments of reflection.
“I referenced the noise the other night. It reminded me of some playoff games where the building was loud and the building almost started shaking,” Ruff said. “It’s great for the players to see. And on the other hand, it’s great for the fans to have something to cheer about.”
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