An hour had almost passed as Buffalo Sabres forward Danny Briere sat in his locker inside the team's dressing room. Exhausted after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the Carolina Hurricanes earlier in the evening, the Sabres co-captain looked around an almost empty room and reflected for a moment.

"There is a special bond going on in our room this year," Briere said. "We have the same guys right now in this dressing room that were in this same room during training camp. Nobody from the outside came in. There were no trades made at the last minute that would have had to been added to the chemistry in this room. We've been together for over eight months now. Every day now we spend more time with each other than we do with our families.

"We believe in each other," Briere said. "Despite the fact that nobody really paid any attention to us except right here in Buffalo. We know what we've got here with this team. We just seem to know that every game, somebody is going to step up to the plate. We don't know who that might be, but there is that belief in the room that everybody is capable of being the hero on any given night. We have something special going on here and we don't want it to end."

Call the Sabres what you want. But if there is one thing they truly are is believers. They believe in each other. They are a team, despite their smallness in size and their youthfulness, have never given up on themselves. They've even overcome the media critics who, at the beginning of the season, didn't even pick the Sabres to be in the playoffs, let alone be vying for a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Critics even were on the team's case as late as last week, saying the team had run out of gas and that management had not prepared the team well enough at the trading deadline to be able to have the depth of players that it might need in the playoffs.

Despite all of that the team has remained focused and bonded even closer together with an internal energy level that if set off could probably implode HSBC Arena.

And now they face their biggest test. A Game 7 against the Hurricanes in Carolina. Not the friendliest place to be or the quietest.

The Sabres have become a true-life band of brothers. Through winning and losing streaks, as well as injuries, this group of players seems to bond closer and tighter together after each adversity. As the Sabres have advanced through this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs they have managed to overcome injuries to key players.

First it was Tim Connolly with a concussion. Then it was defensemen Dmitri Kalinin with a broken ankle and Teppo Numminen with a hip flexer and groin injury.

Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff is being given the most credit for being able to get the most out of this team.

"Lindy has believed in us from day one," remarked Marty Biron, the Sabres backup goaltender. "He has managed to keep us from not getting too high or too low, depending on the situations. He has managed to get the most out of us at the key times. The key is that Lindy believes in us and what we can do and we believe in him and the rest of the coaching staff in what they are doing to prepare us."

The Sabres have become one of the NHL's most tightly-knit units.

Ruff takes it all in stride.

"It has been a pleasure to stand behind this team every night during the regular season and now the playoffs," said Ruff. "These guys are constantly pulling for each other. Even having (the injured) Teppo (Numminen) on the ice for one period was a great help to us. He stayed on the bench with us during the rest of the game, talking to defensemen and giving them tips, encouraging them, even though he couldn't go."

One player who should be complaining, but isn't, despite the injuries to key defensemen in front of him is goaltender Ryan Miller.

"Ryan is the ultimate team player," said veteran Sabres defenseman, Jay McKee. "He doesn't seem to worry about stats. All he wants to do is win. And he cares about the team and the players that make up the team. While he is a key player, Ryan knows that he is only as good as the players in front of him."

Miller himself speaks very highly of a defense that has been hammered by injuries.

"Our defense has been so solid, especially in the playoffs," Miller said. "And guys are now picking up more ice time than they ever could have imagined because of the injuries. They all realize what the situation is. We all wanted Teppo to give it a shot and he did. And Teppo has been real honest with us and we appreciate that and he hasn't pushed it too much. He's letting guys who can give it 100 percent go on ahead of him. The defense, as well as the forwards, have all done their jobs in front of me. The shot-blocking by everyone has been great."

Miller also spoke of what is ahead for the Sabres.

"I think this team is capable of doing great things," Miller said. "I think we just have keep moving our feet from the opening faceoff until the end of the game. I can feel the energy this team has when I watch them from my crease. I have the best seat in the house when it comes to watching this team play."

Maybe co-captain Drury summed up the Sabres the best as they head to Game 7.

"We've been winning all year," concluded Drury. "We always seem to find a way. Now we have to find a way again."