"This is the Thomas Vanek who spent the first half of last season on a 60-goal pace, the sniper who can make a difference in a tight game.

Vanek is feeling better than he has since training camp. And the puck is going in the net with regularity. He had five goals in the final two games of the regular season and scored the Sabres' first goal of the playoffs Thursday night.

"After a few nagging injuries here and there, I got good rehab time in before the last two regular-season games and I feel good," Vanek said following Buffalo's 2-1 victory. "It's nice when you can play your game without being hampered. I feel good and I want to keep going here."

Vanek had a team-high five shots on goal and was far and away the best forward on the ice. His goal came at 4:52 of the first period after Derek Roy cruised around Boston defenseman Matt Hunwick and dropped a perfect pass to his longtime winger.

Vanek's sizzling snapshot burned Tuukka Rask to give the Sabres an early jump.

"I was going to make a move on the defenseman," Roy said. "But we've been playing with each other for six years so that's where communication comes into play. [Vanek] yelled out and I just gave a juke and laid it in for him."

"[Roy] took him wide, I beat my guy and I was just yelling for the puck," Vanek said. "I shot it and it went in."

Sounds simple but it's not. Oddly enough, the goal may not have been Vanek's best play of the night. There were other candidates."