To be straightforward and accurate, we're also 2 points out from last place.
And by points% we're 7th in the division. Which is the most meaningful stat when comparing teams with a disparate number of games played.
Sure, that's techinically true. but the thing with using that indicator at this point (and really all of these comparisons) is the sample size. Points percentage with a small number of games played really doesn't really indicate anything particularly definitively or more accurately at this time.
There are legitimate reasons on both sides for optimism and pessimism, but to say that a small gap in actual points is somehow blatantly misleading as stated earlier on the thread, just really isn't something that can be confidently concluded right now.
You can likely find some 8 game stretches of subpar results from even the best teams having a good season. They don't really mean much descriptively in the scheme of things. What matters is consitency over time and trends/trajectory (to a lesser degree).
The Sabres have a track record and some obvious problems (PP, production from some individual players) that means caution is warranted, as a longtime fan I definitely get that. But it's also true that at this point in the season the standings gap in absolute terms is very narrow and their play has generally trended up as the season as progressed. Those are reasons for some optimism at this point as well.