Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres have come out of the Olympic break playing red-hot, winners of three-straight road games against the New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
For the first time in nearly a full calendar month, the Sabres will play a game in front of their home crowd when they host Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday at KeyBank Center.
It has already been an exciting season in Buffalo, and it's about to get a bit more hectic this week with the NHL Trade Deadline approaching this Friday at 3 p.m. EST.
Many fans have been turning their attention elsewhere on off nights for the Sabres, as they are primed to break a 14-season playoff drought, if they continue to play at their current pace.
Even Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff admits he has been doing some extra scoreboard watching recently.
"It is that time of year where you're watching games. I watched a little bit of the Philly-Toronto game last night. You're seeing who's doing well, Philly now has won three in-a-row, and, of course, it's the exciting time of the year," said Ruff on Tuesday during his weekly appearance with the "Jeremy and Joe Show" on WGR. "To be where you're at, looking to see what other teams are doing, and at the same time you've got to take care of your own backyard."
Following a game back in late January, Sabres winger Alex Tuch mentioned how the group's goal inside the locker room is not just to make the playoffs, but make a run at the Stanley Cup.
Despite the excitement from many fans locally, the Sabres are continuing to approach each and every game with the same mindset.
"We've tried to really stay present in the moment with one game at a time," Ruff said with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase. "When you look at the schedule and you look at how demanding our division and conference is, and how tight it is, you don't do too much dreaming. I know we've played well, but let's take it a game at a time. I think it is the time of the year where with the trade deadline looming, you have conversations about, how can you make your team better? If there's some piece out there that can make your team better here, we've got ourselves a great opportunity to do it. And I think Jarmo [Kekalainen] and his group, that's what they are looking at."
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