BUFFALO — They want more.<\/p>\n
For the Buffalo Sabres and their long-suffering fan base, the satisfaction of ending a historic NHL-record 14-season Stanley Cup Playoff drought was short-lived.<\/p>\n
Now, it isn\u2019t enough anymore.<\/p>\n
Now, the goal is to grab home-ice advantage for at least one round in the postseason, if not more.<\/p>\n
Anyone fortunate enough to be in KeyBank Center for the Sabres\u2019 impressive 4-2 victory against the rival Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday can understand why.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is going to be one of the hardest buildings in the League to play in,\u201d forward Alex Tuch<\/a>\u00a0said. \u201cWhen we\u2019ve got a crowd like that especially, and we\u2019re playing like that on home ice.<\/p>\n \u201cHome ice is huge, especially in the playoffs, and we\u2019re going to push for it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sabres took a step towards that goal with their win against Tampa Bay, which pulled them into a first-place tie atop the Atlantic Division with the Lightning at 102 points, two ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. Tampa Bay has played one fewer game than Buffalo and also holds the tiebreaker.<\/p>\n With the Sabres having clinched a postseason berth Saturday for the first time since 2011, this was the first opportunity for the locals to show their appreciation for the team. Add in the fact that they were playing the Lightning, the team they\u2019d defeated 8-7 here in a rugged game for the ages on March 8, and the vibe was off the charts.<\/p>\n Just ask Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who was behind the Buffalo bench the last time the Sabres had been in the playoffs 15 years earlier.<\/p>\n As Ruff was preparing for the game, he saw a video clip of fans outside the arena smacking around an inflatable Brandon Hagel<\/a>\u00a0pylon with the words \u201cPUNCH BRANDON HAGEL\u201d on it. The Lightning forward had been the villain in that wild game against the Sabres 29 days earlier, having received a $5,000 fine from the NHL for his actions as the aggressor in an altercation with Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin<\/a>.<\/p>\n The crowd hadn\u2019t forgotten, as Ruff discovered firsthand. It didn\u2019t matter that Hagel was not dressed, missing his third consecutive game with an undisclosed injury. They didn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n \u201cThe energy in the building was incredible,\u201d Ruff said. \u201cYou could sense tension, you could sense excitement. And when the game got to 2-2, it was a playoff atmosphere where, you know, the game could go either way. They\u2019re waiting for our response. And the response when we scored to go up 3-2 was incredible.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I saw a few clips before the game of some stuff where they had the Hagel thing, and people were punching the Hagel dummy into the building. I just think that\u2019s part of it. Everybody\u2019s into it. Our fans have been waiting real long so it\u2019s good to see.\u201d<\/p>\n In the end, those would be the most vicious uppercuts thrown on this night, a far cry from that previous meeting when the teams combined for 15 goals, 28 penalties, 102 penalty minutes and 10 fighting majors.<\/p>\n