But this one goes to eleven...

I don't think many people in Buffalo were breathing very steadily Thursday night, at least until Brian Campbell lasered a slap shot behind Wade Dubielwicchjksaiz just past the halfway point of period 1. The Islanders had managed to withstand a furious opening 10 minutes of play, and had come out shot less, but unscathed. In all honesty, it was the worst type of opening the Sabres could hope for, and why the Stanley Cup playoffs are so special.

After having shift after consecutive shift maintain puck possession, cycle, win battles and pepper a rookie goalie, the Sabres essentially had nothing to show for it, other than some "momentum" and an even more anxious and overstressed crowd. All the Islanders needed was a goal. Actually, first the Islanders needed a shot, then they needed a goal.

While most of Buffalo has been in a tizzy over the Sabres 4-1 victory Thursday night in Game 1, there is some reason for caution. How dare such thoughts escape my fingers and enter the fleeting reality of cyberspace? Well...truthfully, the Islanders came to Buffalo's long awaited party, showed up on time, allowed everyone to make fun of them, and quietly put themselves in position to steal a game. The Isles were tied with Buffalo 1-1, and only trailed by 1 goal after 2 periods. A solid 20 minutes was all that was needed in order to force overtime.

In the end, what I liked most about the Sabres' performance in Game 1 wasn't so much that they let the Isles hang around, but rather that the boys in blue and gold were able to turn their intensity up, ever so slightly, come the 3rd period. It was as if the team decided to turn the volume on their amp from a 10...to an 11. The difference between #1 seeds that get upset in the playoffs, and those who advance may come down to a teams' ability to recognize that the effort that they are giving, while good, is not enough. To make adjustments and come out skating even harder, despite having a 1 goal, 2 goal and 3 goal lead, is what separates teams from April tee times.

There was a sort of calm floating around Western New York today, as if people were finally satisfied. After waiting since last June for the feeling of a playoff victory, everyone was able to get a nice long drink of satisfaction thanks to a solid, unspectacular effort by Buffalo. It's probably better that the Sabres didn't shock and awe and storm their way to a 8-1 victory. I'm not sure WNY could have handled turning the power on and having the volume already turned up to an 11.