The Buffalo Sabres are playing hard for 60 minutes. It sounds like a simple task, but for the past 14 years it felt like an impossible mission for an organization that always sought the easy way out, a statement that covers every level of the franchise, from ownership to the players.
A perfect example of the Sabres' rapidly improving compete level, which not-so-coincidentally began after Jarmo Kekalainen replaced Kevyn Adams as general manager, was on full display during Buffalo's impressive 4-1 dismantling of the Dallas Stars on New Year's Eve.
The Blue and Gold already had the road win secured when standout rookie Noah Ostlund, who Adams laughably demoted to the AHL shortly before his dismissal as GM, put his body on the line to block a shot late in the third period.