A Statement Made, and a Career Game for a Good Guy

There are a few things a team needs to do to win a hockey game. Some of these include winning small battles, going to the net and creating traffic, being responsible in your own end, and good goaltending. The Sabres did all of these to stop the streaking Bruins yesterday at TD Banknorth Garden.

Once again, it was the grinders that had the best game for the Sabres, but Lindy doesn't have to call out his superstars this time, as they had a great game too.

Buffalo played an aggressive game in all three zones in the first period, and then really tightened things up in the third where they changed to a strict defensive style, and got some huge saves from Ryan Miller to hold on to the lead.

Matt Ellis had, to date, the game of his career and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Ellis isn't blessed with a lot of skill, but he makes up for it in heart and effort. Since he got called back up with the Sabres in December, his effort has been something to admire, and it hasn't gone unnoticed by Coach Ruff. Ellis' effort was one of the very few bright spots in a pathetic loss to the Capitals last week.

There was a recent feature on Ellis on The Sabres Show, and after watching it, it's easy to like Ellis whose love for hockey and family are obvious.

Another Sabre that I can't help but love is Paul Gaustad. This is a guy who never takes a shift off, holds himself and his teammates accountable, is possibly the Sabres best face-off guy, isn't afraid to get physical, and has much more skill than a lot of fans give him credit for. I think he's replaced Jochen Hecht as the teams most defensive forward. I'm glad Buffalo has him locked up for the next four years. The powers that be are interested in having him represent the USA in the 2010 Winter Olympics, so it'll be nice to see Goose repping the red, white and blue.

As Gaustad said after the win in Boston, the back to back wins won't mean a lot if the winning ways don't continue. This team has been the model of inconsistency all year long. Hopefully a game like this will be one to build on, and the trend will keep rolling on, starting at home on Tuesday night against Ottawa.