"Ted Black's usual smile and laidback attitude were on full display Saturday afternoon. Then the Buffalo Sabres' season got brought up. The smile disappeared. The pained look worn by most folks in Sabreland took over.

"It's a tough year," the team president said.

That summed up the obvious. The Sabres are 14th in the 15-team Eastern Conference. They've won only four times in 18 games. The season is well on the way to becoming a lost one.

Black isn't quite there. After all, something good may eventually come out of the struggles. That's the hope, anyway.

"I wouldn't say that about any season [being a lost one] because you never know where the seeds of greatness are going to be planted," Black said. "So I wouldn't say it's a lost season because that would suggest somehow we're abandoning our efforts, and we're not."

Fans hoping for change at the top should abandon their efforts, though. For the umpteenth time, Black expressed his support for General Manager Darcy Regier and coach Lindy Ruff.

"If this was a court reporter, I'd ask to read back the record on prior answers," Black said regarding his support for the NHL's longest-tenured duo.

The players may not be as safe.

"Our commitment is to winning, not to any particular group of players that are labeled as a core," Black said. "Take that for what it's worth."

Black, unlike others in the organization, did not pull out the injury excuse while discussing the struggles. Plain and simple, the players are not performing."