‘Was this going to be a surprise, Cinderella-type season for Buffalo? It may have been tempting to believe that, but the Sabres’ more recent span of games – they’ve gone 2-8-1 in their past 10 contests – has made their reality stark, and not very optimistic in the short term. And it isn’t just that they’re losing, it’s how Buffalo is losing that makes things appear so bleak at the moment.’