DESPITE DISAPPOINTING RESULT, SABRES OPTIMISTIC FOR NEXT SEASON

Almost to a man, the Buffalo Sabres felt that the time to clean out their lockers had come too soon this season. As they were packing their bags and holding their exit meetings on Sunday, other teams around the League were gearing up for another month of hockey.

Yet the disappointment of missing the postseason was met with an equal sense of optimism, and rightfully so.

"We didn’t reach our goal and so when the season is done this early, it's disappointing," alternate captain Josh Gorges said. "I think when you look at the whole picture of what went on this year, the steps that we took from the first 30, 40 games to how we played the last 30, 40 games was a drastic difference in teams and how…