Sabres 'playing the right way,' analyst Ray says

Rob Ray feels the impact of the Buffalo Sabres' success this season every time he leaves his house, and certainly every time he walks into KeyBank Center.

"We look forward to every game now instead of, 'Oh, got to go to the rink again,'" Ray, the Sabres broadcaster and former player, said on the NHL @TheRink podcast. "Can't wait to get there."

Ray, who played for Buffalo from 1989-2003, joined the podcast this week to talk about the reasons why the Sabres have sustained their success this season and are in first place in the Atlantic Division, almost guaranteeing at this point that they will reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

He touched on leadership and coaching, on the play of defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, the character in the room, goalie Alex Lyon having 20 wins, and the impact forwards Ryan McLeod and Josh Doan have made since they arrived in Buffalo.

Ray said a big reason why the Sabres have 95 points in 71 games, second in the Eastern Conference to the Carolina Hurricanes (96 points in 71 games), is their buy-in to playing the right way consistently, even when their isn't much going on in the game.

"We just got off a four-game road trip and there were a couple of those games that were just slow and really boring and not a lot going on, but they stuck with it and they just played their game and were able to come out on top at the end," he said. "I think in the past, they got maybe bored with playing the right way and they wanted to play the flashy way, and they wanted to be exciting, and they wanted to be wide open.

"They found they could have success with that, but it comes back to bite you an awful lot too. I think now they understand to win games we may have to play a boring game for 60 minutes and take our chances that way. I think there's just a lot of trust and faith in the system that's laid out for them and belief that if they do what they are supposed to do in the long run it's going to come out on top more than not."

NHL.com staff writer Derek Van Diest also joined co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke on this week's episode to talk about the Edmonton Oilers.

Van Diest specifically addressed Connor McDavid's recent comments on the Pacific Division race (he called it a "pillow fight") and if there is a frayed relationship between Edmonton's captain and coach Kris Knoblauch.

In addition, Rosen and Roarke dove into the playoff races in both conferences, offering their thoughts on the rise of the Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators, who have all played their way into playoff position after slow starts to the season.

The episode ends with a special tribute to and remembrance of Jessi Pierce, who was NHL.com's Minnesota Wild correspondent for 10 years. Pierce, 37, and her three young children, were killed in an early-morning fire at their home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, on Saturday.

The "NHL @TheRink" podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.