The Buffalo Sabres recently swept all three California clubs on their Western Conference road trip, finally living up to our expectations. However, with two homestands in late November and early December and one road game in between, another moment of truth is on the horizon.
The Sabres will play the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks at KeyBank Center after a few days off, and both clubs are expected to qualify for the postseason. Even if Vancouver has had its share of problems, Minnesota has been a huge surprise, and I wouldn’t want to take them lightly.
Before playing a trio of formidable opponents in the Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, and NY Rangers, Buffalo will then try to get revenge on the mediocre NY Islanders, maybe bringing Brock Nelson back to Western New York with them.
It is safe to say that the Sabres will be put to the test by this impending blitz of great opponents. They will face the Detroit Red Wings and Utah Hockey Club, two easier but no less formidable opponents, after their game against the Jets and before facing the Rangers. Better yet, we will discover a lot about whether their current point surge is permanent.
Sabres inconsistencies could stall their momentum in upcoming homestands
Having a negative outlook isn’t unusual for Sabres fans these days, as the team has given us more false optimism than we like to consider. Perhaps, however, things will be different in late 2024 when they continue to dominate teams against whom we expect them to be earning two points while taking three or four games against some of the NHL’s most formidable opponents.
Even while everyone has this ideal situation in mind, the Sabres haven’t done anything to give us hope that they will actually accomplish it. However, if they succeed, perhaps it will be acceptable to have some hope in this hockey club going forward and that they will finish in the top four of the Atlantic Division, or at the at least, do well in their quest to stay competitive.
Hey, you want to have faith and say, “Yeah, this is the year,” for a squad that has gone 11-6-1 since that 0-3 start. Even after a reasonably good month and a half, optimism is still difficult to find until the Sabres demonstrate that they can continue to win almost twice as frequently as they are losing, especially after reading the same book and seeing the same movie adaption year after year.
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