Buffalo Sabres Top Games 2014-2015

Well, Sabres fan, it is almost here! The NHL is about to return in just a few days, and with it, will come an important season for the Buffalo Sabres as they continue to rebuild their roster and develop a winning formula.

Here are the top 5 Sabres games that I am looking forward to:

5. Thursday, October 9th against the Columbus Blue Jackets

This one is a fairly cliche selection – the first game of the season for the Buffalo Sabres. The initial game brings with it the excitement of a new season, and for some teams, hopes of a playoff berth and the potential for a Stanley Cup. Most Sabres fans realize that Buffalo is a long-shot from being a contender this season, but they should be more competitive and “watchable.”

I am looking forward to this game, because there will be some new pieces to watch – Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges, Chris Stewart, and Andrej Meszaros to name a few. It may also be the first NHL game for shiny new toy Sam Reinhart. It will also be a chance to see if players like Mikhail Grigorenko, Zemgus Girgensons, Rasmus Ristolainen, Cody Hodgson, Nic Deslauriers, and Jake McCabe have developed further (assuming they all make the final roster). The future looks very bright for Buffalo.

4. Saturday, November 29th at the Montreal Canadiens

Though this will be the third game of the season between the Sabres and the rival Canadiens, it will be the first game between the teams in Montreal. This game marks the return of my fellow Greece-native Brian Gionta to the city of the team that he had captained for the last 4 seasons. It also marks the return of Josh Gorges to Montreal, where he spent the last 8 years of his career.

I remain interested in seeing how the Canadiens fans respond to the return of these players – I get a feeling that the response may have a lot to do with how the teams are in the standings. This game is also the second game of a home-and-home between the two clubs, and depending on what happens in the Friday night game in Buffalo, this has the potential to be one of the most intense games of the season for the Sabres.

3. Saturday, April 11th against the Pittsburgh Penguins

This game is the final one of the season for Buffalo, and ultimately it will probably be the ending of us Sabres fans watching the team lose games for 7 straight months.

This game will bring us closer to finding out if the Sabres will be qualifying for the Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel sweepstakes. By this point, we will also have found out if players like Drew Stafford and Meszaros were traded at the deadline for pieces/prospects/picks, or if Buffalo views them as part of the future. This final game means the team should be embarking on a string of winning seasons starting October 2015.

2. Tuesday, March 17th at the Boston Bruins

I am looking forward to this particular game solely for the fact that I hate the Boston Bruins. I am also trying to make plans for a road-trip to drive to this game in Boston, decked out in full Sabres gear.

The Sabres and Bruins have generally been good at maintaining a bitter rivalry over the past few decades – I am hoping that this stays true for this season – and if so, blood could be boiling between the two teams by March. Additionally, games in Boston usually entail a hostile environment. Could be a great test for the rebuilding and youthful Sabres late in the season.

1. Tuesday, January 13th against the Detroit Red Wings

This game shows up as numero uno on my list, because I have front-row tickets to the game! This is the only home game that I have purchased tickets to, and it is also my “birthday game.” Although I may attend other games, there is nothing like being this close to the action!

Another reason – my fiancee received an excellent professional camera for Christmas, and I have been dying to try it out by taking some Sabres photos. One of my hobbies as a child was using my father’s camera to take quality photos of the Rochester Americans, so this opportunity gets me very excited. It also does not hurt that Pavel Datsyuk is one of my favorite non-Sabres of all time, and I am looking forward to hopefully seeing the ‘Magic Man’ in action.