BUFFALO, N.Y. — The scene outside KeyBank Center on Thursday night was one that hasn’t been seen in a while, as a constant flow of optimistic fans headed in with hopes of leaving the last decade’s struggles behind.
“It sucked,” Sabres fan Paul LaCapruccia said.
“It's tough,” said Chase Moreland, another Sabres fan. “We still came to games all the time. Me and my friends, we made the best of it.”
Last season the Sabres won just 16 games in the first four months of the season, causing the franchise to reach a record-low attendance rate as fans started to lose their faith the team.
But thanks to a young core and hot stretch at the end of the season, they’re starting to feel excitement they haven’t felt in years.
“We're big time underdogs,” Moreland said. “We're going to go crazy. We're going to take people by surprise, and who knows what happens?”
Now fans are hoping that excitement they are feeling off the ice will be matched on it as the team attempts to snap the longest playoff drought in NHL history dating back to 2011.
“I love the Sabres,” LaCapruccia said. “They’re here 41 times in Buffalo, and we just want them to win. I don't ever want to boo a Sabre. I want to go in there and scream for them. Just go win for me, and I'll be there every night.”
This new culture will be on full display once again on Saturday when the Sabres face an even tougher test against the reigning Atlantic Division champs in the Florida Panthers.
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