Time for another look at the Sabres as they make their way through an anniversary season has, so far, been golden. 

1. Fast Start

— The Sabres are off to a 5-0-1 mark which is their best start since the 2008-09 season where they began 6-0-1 before finishing with 91 points, good enough for 10th in the East and two points out of the playoffs. 

2. Owning the Net

— The Sabres' goalies are standing on their heads through the first two weeks of the season, almost literally at times. Right now Carter Hutton is 4-0-0 and Linus Ullmark is 1-0-1, but what is more impressive is where they rank in major stats. They're oddly tied in save percentage at .931 (11th in the league) and their goals against are both above average with Hutton at 1.74, good enough for 7th in the NHL, and Ullmark's 2.86 is top 30.

3. Bottom 6 Break Out

— Last week I said that the bottom six was playing well, but that the team needed scoring from them... prayers answered for Sabres fans. The GLO line of Girgensons, Larsson, Okposo has been fantastic in puck possession numbers and in finding the back of the net. In the 3-2 shootout win over Florida that line had a goal and four assists. They were also on the ice when Marco Scandella scored. Add to that Casey Mittelstadt putting home the winner in the shootout and I'm eating crow. If the fast start mentioned above is going to continue this group will need to keep up the good work.

4. Clutch Casey

— I mentioned above that Mittelstadt had the shootout winner against Florida and that is a bit of a trend already this season. If you remember back to the preseason he also netted the winner over the Penguins. While his ice time may be down, just 10:15 per game, Ralph Krueger trusts him in those one v. one moments. 

5. Skins on the Wall

— A lot was made when the Sabres decided to pay up to keep Jeff Skinner about "could he score without Jack Eichel" and so far the answer is yes. His four goals are second on the team, only behind Victor Olofsson. His four tallies have come with assists from Vladimir Sobotka, Henri Jokiharju, Marcus Johansson, and Marco Scandella. All guys not named Jack Eichel.

6. Personal Experience

— I took my daughter to her first Sabres game on Monday (4-0 win over Dallas). She's been a huge hockey fan since she could crawl into bed and uses watching it with me as an excuse to stay up a little bit later. Despite my growing up being a Penguins fan (I'm from Erie and my older sister has the same cancer as Mario Lemieux so I met him a couple times as a kid) and my wife being from Pittsburgh we have raised a little girl who is a DIE-HARD blue and gold supporter. I was worried that some of the slow moments in the game would be tough on her, but she loved every second of it and the staff around KBC was amazing. The two older gentlemen at the top of the elevators to the 200s were awesome and told us all the tricks to take advantage of with kids (where Sabretooth was hanging out and how to get a 'first game' certificate). 'Miss Mary' in section 210 was also awesome at making my daughter feel like the princess I routinely tell her she is. Lastly, the team helped by providing a 4-0 win.