Ric Tapia/Getty Images Welcome to the first edition of the Friday 5. A five pack of Sabres content from past, present and in this case future. We are opening this new feature with a Fan Pre-Season Wishlist. These are my five biggest wishes headed into this new season. Just like every team’s goal at the start of the season should be the Stanley Cup, it should be on every fans wish list, so I tried to leave some of the more obvious things out of this week’s picks. Let’s kick i

For the first time in franchise history, the Buffalo Sabres have won 20 of their last 24 games (20-3-1), emerging as the NHL’s hottest team since the beginning of December. Riding a five-game winning streak, Buffalo sits third in the Atlantic Division and has firmly positioned itself as a legitimate postseason contender, which comes as welcome news for a fanbase that has waited 14 years to hear it.