‘Not counting Eichel, the Sabres have seven top 10 picks in their lineup, some acquired in trades, others from their own years of futility. But what may be more important than the untapped talent level, the Sabres’ compete level has been raised. In the loss in Boston last week, the Sabres lost both the war and the battles (Matt Irwin and Tage Thompson taking one-sided beatings from Nick Ritchie and Kevan Miller), but the main point is that they showed up for both. That has not always been the case.’