No-Panic Vanek and The Sabres Break the Bruins

Thomas Vanek had a monstrous game tonight. Not only did he become a 40/40 man- which hasn't been done in a long time by a player on the Sabres' roster, but he scored two clutch goals. The first was a beautiful wraparound on a rebound that only he can execute so well, and the second was a partial breakaway that made the Boston goaltender Hannu Toivonen look more lost than an Evangelist in the ghetto.

Vanek had an excellent chance to finish off the game with a hat trick, but instead of doing it himself, he completed a tic-tac-toe pass play and allowed Derek Roy, right, to shovel the pass into an open net on the powerplay late in the game.

Maxim Afinogenov made his first appearance since February 15th tonight. The speedster broke a bone in his wrist in the win against the Edmonton Oilers. He scored a point, as well, assisting on Roy's goal. He played excellent though, splitting time with different lines. The majority of his time was on the fourth line with Adam Mair and Daniel Paille.

Later in the game, coach Lindy Ruff mixed him with his old linemates Roy and Vanek, and also Ales Kotalik centered with Dainius Zubrus. Afinogenov played well each place, and this is a great tool for the playoff lines for Ruff.

Buffalo gave up an early 2-0 nothing lead, but scored four unanswered goals to win. This is the tenth of Buffalo's 52 wins that have come after trailing by at least two goals. Only two teams have won more games in this fashion in the last 30 years.

Buffalo's 52 wins ties the record for most wins in a season set last year. They have also set their points record with 111 as of tonight. Buffalo has sold out 40 straight games out of 41 this year. Three or four years ago, this team may have sold out maybe three quarters of the seats ever weekend game. Ryan Miller played excellent in his second straight game, regaining the form that we all know he is capable of.

Magic Numbers:

There is only one team in contention with the Sabres for the President's Cup after the win tonight. The Detroit Red Wings, excluding the current game.

With any combination of the Sabres gaining points or Detroit squandering points that equals three, the Sabres will win the President's trophy. Detroit is currently losing 2-1 against the Chicago Blackhawks with ten minutes left in the third period.

Why is Buffalo's defense finally playing well? Tomorrow's post will explain.