There were a few periods when the Sabres just couldn't clear the zone, but to their credit, neither did they lose their defensive structure in the zone. As far as all three pairs being solid, I think one way to protect them is to play aggressive offensively, as in make that long outlet pass. I think with their "focus on defense" earlier this year, all three forwards were staying closer in, and those "passes" turned into icings, or into weaker passes (i.e., didn't want to ice it) that were intercepted. The aggressive counterstrike offense actually is a good defensive tactic. Now that they're back to run & gun we're seeing that.