AP Photo Buffalo Sabres forwards Sam Reinhart (23) and Jack Eichel (9) celebrate a goal during the third period of a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Wednesday, in Buffalo.

Coming into the season, Buffalo Sabres fans had every right to be skeptical of the team’s direction this year.

In the offseason, the Sabres signed a career backup goaltender in Carter Hutton, traded away a top-line center in Ryan O’Reilly, and gave up prospects and draft picks for Jeff Skinner — a player the Carolina Hurricanes didn’t believe was a franchise cornerstone.

After a four-goal first period on Wednesday night, against the Philadelphia Flyers that put the Sabres well on the way to the team’s seventh straight win, any doubt should have been put to rest with it. This year’s team is something special.

Sabres fans have been forced to endure many, many years of “tanking” for higher draft picks in recent memory. That isn’t the case this season.

The Sabres have the fourth best record in the NHL through Thanksgiving, with 14 wins in 22 games — including seven straight wins, the longest active streak in the league. The first six wins of the streak all came in one-goal games, highlighted by a comeback win at Pittsburgh in which the Sabres came from down 4-1 to win the game in overtime, 5-4.

In recent years, the Sabres would routinely blow late-game leads. It began to feel as if it was only a matter of time before a one-goal Sabres lead would end in an overtime loss. Now, the Sabres are on the other side of the same token, routinely coming from behind to skate away with the win.

Through 22 games, the Sabres are putting up statistics that no one, outside of the most optimistic Sabres supporters, could have expected. Jack Eichel has 20 assists and 25 points in 22 games, while Skinner has a team-high 15 goals and is second on the team with 23 points. Eichel and Skinner have been paired together all year long, and it has clearly paid off, proving that the trade for the former Hurricanes forward is one of the best decisions the Sabres’ front office has made in years.

In addition to the acquisition of Skinner, the signing of Hutton has been every bit as good as the Sabres had hoped it would be so far. Hutton has a record of 10-6-1 through 17 appearances, with just over 2.5 goals per game allowed and a save percentage of nearly 92 percent. Even Linus Ullmark — who has been buried in the minors for years — has performed admirably for the Sabres when called upon in six appearances. The Sabres finally have competent play between the pipes, after years of struggle at the position.

This year, the Sabres approach benchmarks in the year like the All Star break, the trade deadline, and potentially even the start of the playoffs, as a relevant team in the Eastern Conference. After so many years at the bottom of the league’s standings, the Sabres finally have optimism in the direction of the organization. A team that was viewed as a seller as recently as July when O’Reilly was shipped away, may actually be looking to add to this year’s team, rather than subtract.

The Sabres hit the ice again each of the next two nights, and while it’s too early in the season to project whether a playoff berth may be in store for this year’s squad, it is not too early to see this team is not like the teams of recent years. This is not a bottom-dwelling team, looking to make its noise on draft day. These Sabres are something to be excited about during the regular season. Sabres fans finally have a team that has incentive to win, rather than lose, and that’s something any fan should be able to get behind.

Twitter: @bradencarmen