from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News,

We've reached the Chicken vs. the Egg portion of the program when it comes to Sabres games in KeyBank Center.

The fans make no noise, numbed to silence by the abhorrent cold in the downtown arena and the lack of excitement on the ice. The players get no push from the crowd to help them get off to a rousing start or through rough patches of a game.

You can't blame the paying customers anymore. They're in complete prove-it mode here after too many years of empty promises.

Then a funny thing happened in the second period Tuesday night against Ottawa: The Sabres started making plays and the fans started making noise.

Amazing how that works.

Just when we've all become obssessed with NFL wild-card tiebreakers, the Sabres have quietly put together a 2-0-2 stretch that's their best of the season after Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Senators.

continued

Below, Bruce Garrioch on the Senators and watch the game highlights....