Buffalo Sabres To Take On Phil Kessel And Revamped Penguins Offense

By Jacob D. Strozyk | Oct 29, 2015

The Buffalo Sabres are coming off of a well played victory against the Philadelphia Flyers, and they will be looking to continue the momentum they have going forwards. They gained a 3-0 lead against the Flyers last game, and eventually had to win it in overtime; Zemgus Girgensons being the goal scorer. Chad Johnson stole the show with a Hasek-esque save in overtime, and he will be the one to start in goal tonight as well.

Related – Sabres Need To Let Girgensons Loose In Top Six

Tonight marks the first regular season game that Sabres coach Dan Bylsma will face his former team. After having coached young stars like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, Bylsma now has young stars like Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart at his disposal. As the game draws nearer, I wonder how Bylsma will feel about the whole situation. Will he be proud of what he accomplished in Pittsburgh? Or will he be focuses on keep his new young talents on the same track? The key tonight will be focus.

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Jack Eichel is set to play his first game against Sidney Crosby (who is widely regarded as the best player in the world) and I cannot wait to see how they stack up. Crosby is now a very seasoned veteran of ten years and has gained his dominant status. Eichel is still maturing, but he has the skill level to push Crosby a bit. Not only is Eichel physical bigger, but he plays a much more aggressive game. This dynamic will be a fun one to watch play out.

The Penguins came into this season with high hopes for the offense, but are not yet seeing the full benefits. After trading for a star scorer like Phil Kessel, many expected the Penguins offense to be scoring off the charts. Maybe it’s a chemistry issue, but there is definitely a problem with the scoring.

With the Penguins offense bursting at the seams with talent, it is only a matter of time before they break out with a blowout game. Do I see that happening tonight? No, but I also do not see this game going too well for the Sabres. Despite a solid win against the Flyers the other night, the Buffalo Sabres are still lacking the physicality to wear down the Penguins forwards.

For tonight’s game, I sadly have to predict that Buffalo will lose by a score of 4-3. I think that Fleury will let in a few goals to the Sabres forwards pressuring him, but ultimately, the offensive skill imbalance makes me give this game to the Penguins. I really hope that this one isn’t true, but I honestly do not see Buffalo taking this one. Please Buffalo make me wrong!

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