Jane Austen was prophetic when she wrote back in 1813 that “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a Buffalo Sabres team in the first month of the season, must be in possession of a surprisingly strong record.” While Sabres fans have not been subjected to quite the bait-and-switch of misery that Torontonians have in the past five seasons, their extended rebuild has been marked by several stretches of shocking competency, each struck short the second anybody got legitimately excited about the team’s chances.

And we’re back. The Sabres, generally predicted to finish with somewhere between 75 and 85 standings points, are 7-3-0, fourth in the league, and on pace for 115 points. Even the least cynical fan knows that this isn’t going to last, but with a new set of high-end young talent show