Buffalo Sabres Tickets

The Buffalo Sabres have clawed their way into third place in the Northeast Division and appear to be in position to make the playoffs.

It has been an emotional time for the Sabres, who play in a city that is still reeling from the plane crash that killed 50 people.

The Sabres had intented to cancel the game following the tragedy, but instead decided to play in memory of those lost in the plane crash. A moment of silence was given at the start of the game as a tribute to the accident.

The city is now rallying around their hockey team, hoping they can serve as a positive distraction from the tragedy in the community.

To make matters worse, leading goal scorer Thomas Vanek is out indefinitely after sustaining a broken jaw. In his absence, the team has dropped three of their five games.

While Vanek leads the club in goals scored, center Derek Roy leads the team with 54 points. Roy also leads the team with 33 assists and is widely regarded as their top offensive player.

Ryan Miller has been very strong in goal, giving up just 2.54 goals per game. It's not a fluke either, as his save percentage sits at nearly 92 percent. Patrick Lalime has seen very limited time as the backup because he is allowing 3.07 goals per game and has a save percentage below 90 percent.

The next five games are critical for the Sabres as they play weaker competition and must take advantage of it. It will give them the opportunity to establish themselves as a legitimate playoff contender.

Three of those five games will be played in Buffalo, making it that much more important that the team wins at least three of those games. Four wins should really be the goal, no pun intended.

If Buffalo can weather the storm while their top goal scorer is out of the lineup, they might just have what it takes to reach the playoffs this season. Otherwise, more disappointment awaits the fans of Buffalo.