Alex Tuch amidst Sabres’ win streak: ‘We’re gonna go for the Cup’
It’s hard not to be confident if you’re the Buffalo Sabres right now.
Following a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, the Sabres are now 7-2-1 over the past 10 games while riding a five-game point streak.
The team sits third in the Atlantic Division with 67 points, tying them with both Montreal and Boston, who currently occupy the two wild-card spots. The Tampa Bay Lightning currently holds the top spot in the Atlantic Division with 72 points.
There’s little room for error in the Eastern Conference – but the Sabres clearly came to play. Alex Tuch, in particular, had a massive Thursday night, registering his fourth career NHL hat-trick.
I am not here all the time so I won't pretend to know everything the team has been saying. But in my time covering Buffalo sports, I don't know if I've ever heard this type of answer come from the Sabres locker room. Hell of an answer to a great question from @ByMHarrington.
“We’re coming in with a lot of confidence,” said Tuch following a question from Buffalo News writer Mike Harrington. “Everybody’s coming in trying to prove themselves and we’re trying to prove as a team that we’re legit. We’re not just going to go for the playoffs. We’re going to go for the (Stanley) Cup and that’s our goal to get better each and every day.”
The team had a 10-game win streak from December to early January, helping them get into playoff contention after an ugly start to the season.
The Sabres last qualified for the postseason in 2010-11, falling to the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games in the conference quarterfinals. They currently boast the longest playoff drought in the NHL – but this year feels different.
“We’re not in here just to squeak in. We’re in here to try to keep winning. We’re chasing a couple of really good teams in Detroit and Tampa right now. And we know each game’s gonna be a playoff like hockey and it’s a huge two points (on Thursday) to get. And now we have Montreal chasing us, so they’re gonna come to play on Saturday and we gotta bring our A game. And we’re gonna be ready to win.”
The Sabres have yet to win a Stanley Cup in franchise history, but did lose to the Dallas Stars in the final back in 1999. They also lost to the Flyers in 1974-75 despite reaching the final in just the team’s fourth season.
Regardless of the past, it’s safe to say the vibes are right at the KeyBank Center.