ANAHEIM, Calif. – Rasmus Ristolainen placed his right hand against the wall opposite his stall inside the Honda Center dressing room and did not hesitate when asked what the Buffalo Sabres' 5-0-1 start to the season means to him.

"Great," the 24-year-old defenseman said with a slight smirk Tuesday afternoon. "Everyone wants to win, especially guys who have been here long. It hasn’t been like this yet, so I'm excited. Everyone’s excited. It’s nicer to come to the rink when we’re playing really well and that’s how we’ve won games. It hasn’t been luck. We’ve played well."

Ristolainen is tempering that excitement, though. His six previous seasons in Buffalo have prepared him for the arduous road ahead. He and the Sabres won 10 consecutive games last November, only to endure a second-half collapse that resulted in an eighth straight season without postseason hockey.

While Ristolainen expressed confidence in his teammates and the new man behind their bench – he said Ralph Krueger "might be the best coach" he's had as a professional – the past has taught him to focus on the present.