GLENDALE, Ariz. — The transplants and snowbirds flocked to see their beloved Buffalo Sabres on Monday, with Blue and Gold the color of choice inside Jobing.com Arena.

The Sabres' road game wouldn't have had that homey feel if Jim Balsillie had gotten his wish over the summer.

The Sabres' visit to Phoenix could have been a game in Hamilton, Ont. Balsillie was ultimately blocked in his bid to purchase the Coyotes and move them to southern Ontario, but for a while it looked like a distinct possibility.

"I'm happy that the game is here," Sabres defenseman Steve Montador said. "I think that the organization seems to be turning at the right place. They're second in their division and going pretty strong, have a number of good players, and I think for the most part there's only up for this organization and this part of the country."

While the arena had an energetic feel for the Martin Luther King Day matinee because of the Buffalo influence, the jury remains out on whether the trip to the desert will be a regular journey or a fading novelty. The Coyotes rank last in the NHL with an average attendance of 10,699, just 61.1 percent capacity. Attendance on Monday was only 11,309.

"I really think that this is a great place for hockey," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "They have enough people, obviously, in the area to support it. Have they got the support? I guess the answer to that question is no.

"I think, like a lot of teams, if you put a winning team on the ice I think you gather support. I think you'll have to wait and see on that."

The Coyotes entered Monday with a 28-16-5 record, good for fifth place in the Western Conference. They haven't made the playoffs since 2001-02.

"A lot of it has to do with winning, and the team's doing well this year, so only time will tell if that will continue and the crowds will continue to grow," said Sabres forward Adam Mair, a Hamilton native. "You hope that every franchise is healthy, especially since it directly links to the growth of the league and the amount of escrow the players receive. You want to be in good, healthy environments with hockey crowds. Hopefully, they can do it here, but if not the league can do something to adjust it."

The NHL, which is running the Coyotes, is still negotiating to sell the team to Ice Edge Holdings. It is a consortium that includes Phoenix businessmen who would keep the team in town. The Phoenix area, which includes Scottsdale, Tempe and Glendale, has more than 4 million residents.

"You look at the amount of people here and you would expect they can do well," Mair said, "but a lot of times it takes success for a team to skyrocket."

. . .

Center Tim Kennedy sat in the press box during the Sabres' 7-2 outburst against the Coyotes. He was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. He has one goal in 15 games and played just 9:32 on Saturday against the New York Islanders.

"He's had a couple rough ones," Ruff said. "It doesn't hurt. [Drew Stafford] sat out and came back real well.

"I came to the rink and sat down with him [Monday] morning and talked to him about his play in the previous game. It's not unusual to have a young player start to fall a little bit. Sometimes to sit up there and watch, watch how hard you've got to compete and watch how well you have to play, it's a good opportunity to bounce back."

. . .

Ruff got an up-close look at one of his former students. Ruff was an assistant in Florida when defenseman Ed Jovanovski broke into the league with the Panthers in 1996. Jovanovski entered Monday with 18 assists, second on the Coyotes, and eight goals.

"He's the full package," Ruff said. "He's a very powerful man. He can hurt you physically. He can hurt you offensively. He's a very good skater, powerful skater that gets relied on in a lot of key situations."