Krueger promised an open, direct culture upon being named coach of the Sabres during the summer. That foundation was laid during training camp, and the players have responded positively ever since.
Okposo listed the characteristics that make Krueger a coach worth fighting for in the eyes of him and his teammates.
"Well, just his demeanor," Okposo said. "The way he treats everybody. He's honest, he's fair, he's demanding, fun. He's an extremely good motivator. He's a guy that everybody wants to play for. I know talking to the guys that were in Edmonton that had him, I didn't hear one bad thing about him. I know that he's very well liked and he's pushing us to be better. We're appreciative that we have him."
"It was fun to get the two points for him," alternate captain Marcus Johansson added. "I feel like he deserved that. I think he's been really good so far and it was fun to get that one for him."
Lately, it's been translating on the ice, too. With the win, the Sabres will return home having taken three of an available six points on their Western Canada road trip. They have earned points in seven of their last nine games and remain in third place in the Atlantic Division.
"Overall there is a consistency now and a belief in what our game is," Krueger said. "It's one thing to know that we have a plan, it's one thing to know we have a game, but the other thing is it starts becoming automatic and that the habits come through.
"That's what we're seeing more and more here, is that we're able to recover within a game like today where we let it slip and could have easily fallen apart. But we got back to that plan and religiously carried it through."