Gameday 68 - Sabres

There's a little group of guys on the team that make me feel like you know, something special might be happening here. Something might be coming together. And it might not come together RIGHT THIS SECOND, but it's coming. I don't know if the Sabres are really going to win the Stanley Cup within three years, but there are things to be optimistic about, things that are fun: Mike Weber knocking people over and taking on all comers, Andrej Sekera absolutely wheeling up and down the ice, Jhonas Enroth playing well in a weird and awkward situation, Thomas Vanek looking like maybe, just maybe, he wants to be The Man and developing the emotional maturity to do so, Tyler Myers pushing through a rough start and coming out on the other side. I don't know that they'll do a lot of damage in the playoffs. I don't know that they'll be first round losers either. I don't know. I do know that they're really fun to watch right now and that I feel good about being a Sabres fan. For now, that's all I need.

On a night where the Towels were twirling, the Pens stormed back from a 2-0 early hole to stun the Sabres and emo goalie Ryan Miller. Matt Cooke had the game-winner, and the Pens got goals from Tyler Kennedy and DJ Jazz. The real story, however, won't be the Pens' comeback; it will be the injury Evgeni Malkin suffered after huge Sabres d-man Tyler Myers fell on his right knee. The Sabres got out to a 2-0 lead by outworking the Pens. Goalagainstski returned. Goose may have played the worst period of his career in the first. Paul Gaustad scored his 1,000th goal against the Pens.