Taking a look back at the box scores from the Toronto-Buffalo series might open up a few people's eyes.

For those expecting to see the names Satan, Peca, Juneau and Grosek among the consistent goal-scorers for Buffalo, well, you would be disappointed. While those bigger names usually would be found in a winning box score for the Sabres, they didn't show up often against the Leafs. Satan, the team's leading scorer during the regular season, scored once. Juneau lit the lamp just once. Peca and Grosek couldn't find the back of the net.

So how in the heck did the Sabres win? They did it with a little help from their friends.

When the big guys couldn't put the puck in the net, Buffalo looked elsewhere. The Sabres looked to guys a lot of people have never heard of - guys like Curtis Brown, Vaclav Varada, Eric Rasmussen and Dixon Ward. They also looked to a couple players people haven't heard from in a long time - Geoff Sanderson and Stu Barnes.

Geoff Sanderson by Meredith Martini

Sanderson and Barnes had become the Tito Jackson to the Sabres' Michael. The team knew they were somewhere, but they hadn't surfaced for what seemed like years. That is until the Leafs series. Barnes, who failed to score a goal in 17 regular season games and two entire playoff series after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins, finally found his scoring touch against the Leafs. He scored a goal in Game 1 and added two more in a loss in Game 2. Then, with chants of "Stuuuuuuuu" emanating from the home crowd every time he touched the puck in Game 3, Barnes notched the fourth of his career as a Sabre.

Sanderson had scored goals as a member of the Sabres before this series - just not very many of them. The pride of the Northwest Territories hasn't been able to find the back of the net with much consistency since he scored 34 or more goals four times as a member of the Whale. Why has he struggled so much? No one knows for sure. He's still got incredible wheels. He can stickhandle like a champ. And he can fire the puck with the best of them. But Geoff hasn't been able to score.

Luckily for the Sabres, Sanderson's touch came back to him, at least for a little while, against the Leafs. He scored his first playoff goal of the year in Game 1. Then he added two more in Game 4, including a sweet, one-handed effort against Curtis Joseph with a defenseman draped on his back.

Stu Barnes by Meredith Martini

Sanderson and Barnes have been a big part of the Sabres success recently, but so have some unknowns like Brown, Varada and Ward. Brown is a speedy forward who displayed an incredible backhand shot in Game 5. He's also very capable in his own end.

The final two guys on that list play on the Sabres' checking line with Peca. While the label "checking line" might mean "can't score" on a number of teams in the post-expansion era, that's not the case in Buffalo. All three can put the puck in the net. Varada is a skilled player who has shown he can play a defensive role, as well. During his brief time in the league, Varada has pulled off some dazzling moves with the puck. He's creative with the puck and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. But with the Sabres Varada has been forced more into a defensive role. And in accordance with the rule that checking line players at least must look boring, Varada dropped his shiny Nike skates before this season in favor of a pair of lame black ones. But don't let the skates fool ya: Vaclav has some moves.

Dixon Ward by Meredith Martini

So does his fellow winger on the checking line, Dixon Ward. Ward has been known to put together strong playoffs in the past. With the Rochester Americans in 1995-96, Ward led the league in playoff scoring with 35 points in 19 games. Last season he picked up 11 points in 15 playoff games with the Sabres. Ward has equaled that number this season. He has six goals and five assists in 15 games. Three of his goals came in wins against the Maple Leafs. He scored in games 1, 4 and 5 while Varada picked up goals in games 1 and 5.

With scoring coming from so many places, it's no wonder the Sabres are in the Stanley Cup finals. And with so much help from their friends, it's no wonder this year will be one to remember in Buffalo.

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