Buffalo Sabres Season Recap Vs. Pacific Division

The Buffalo Sabres had a chance to earn 28 points this season in 14 games against teams from the NHL’s Pacific Division.

Out of 14 games played against teams from the Pacific Division, however, the Buffalo Sabres won just six games.

Overall, the team’s record this past season against Pacific Division opponents was 6-7-1, with one overtime loss. (Total Sabres season record: 23-51-8).

Throughout the course of the season, the Buffalo Sabres played each Pacific Division team two times.

They were able to pull off wins against five of the seven teams in the division, which… actually isn’t that bad.

In the end, the Buffalo Sabres were most successful against the San Jose Sharks. The Sabres won both games this season against San Jose, outscoring the Sharks by a 6-2 margin. They were the only team that the Sabres managed to get more than one win against in the division.

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All in all, teams from the Pacific Division outscored the Sabres by a close margin of 39-33. That’s really not a bad margin, considering the end result saw the Sabres lose more than half of the games (6-8).

One place were the Sabres were generally more successful in this area: scoring. They were shutout just once by a Pacific Division opponent (a 2-0 loss to the Kings) and actually shut out Los Angeles on their own this season as well (1-0). The Sabres scored more than one goal in nine of 14 games against teams from the Pacific Division, which helped keep games competitive, regardless of the end result.

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of their record against each team:

vs. Anaheim Ducks: 2 losses
vs. Arizona Coyotes: 1 win, 1 overtime loss
vs. Calgary Flames: 1 win, 1 loss
vs. Edmonton Oilers: 2 losses
vs. Los Angeles Kings: 1 win, 1 loss
vs. San Jose Sharks: 2 wins
vs. Vancouver Canucks: 1 win, 1 loss

Games against Pacific Division foes amounted for roughly 17 percent of the Sabres’ season, equal to the games played against opponents from the Central Division.

While it’s not the same as competition against Atlantic divisional foes or even Metropolitan Division teams, where the conference rivalry is still there, it’s still important that the Buffalo Sabres find a way to win against these teams. Every point can be crucial in the end for the playoff race. You don’t want to look back in April at games against the Canucks, Oilers, etc. from back in December and think “If only we had won then….”

In the end, it’s going to be a very different experience for the Buffalo Sabres playing against Pacific Division teams next season. If the Edmonton Oilers do indeed select Connor McDavid with the first overall selection, the Sabres – and presumably, Jack Eichel – will get two chances to face him. That will certainly be one factor the team will have to take into consideration when trying to be competitive with teams from the Pacific Division next season.

Next: Is Jack Eichel A Developing Talent?

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