The Sabres early-season warpath continued through California, with the team (7-1-1) winning two of three and maintaining their first-place standing in the NHL.

"We gave up three leads in a game on the road [in the third game against San Jose], in a tough building to play in, and we never gave up on the way we wanted to go through the 60 minutes," says head coach Ralph Krueger. "Deservedly got the win in the end because of that. I think when your final game on the road, your bags are packed on the bus, all ready to go home, and you still stayed within it all the way to the end, it's a compliment to the group." 

"Never an easy trip out there," says forward Jimmy Vesey. "[Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose] are big teams, heavy teams. It was tough to drop the first one after we played such a good first period. Rebounded, stuck with it, and we were able to get two wins. It's early in the season, but all the points matter."

After two seasons of near-constant line changes, the Sabres kept their lines the same during Monday's practice. Aside from Evan Rodrigues subbing in for Conor Sheary following an upper-body injury, Sabres lines haven't changed since opening night. Players credit the team's balance to explain the lack of changes so far.

"It doesn't have to be a special line every night. We don't need any one line to always be the best line," says forward Marcus Johansson. "It feels like we have guys that can step up. That's big over the course of a long season. It's big to have that." 

"With all lines contributing, that adds a little bit of an 'x factor," says Vesey. "If those guys are having an off-night, and we can pick up the slack, I think we're a tough matchup for a lot of teams."

The Sabres will try for their eighth win in ten games Tuesday, when they host the Sharks to finish a home-and-home.