Sep 28, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Andre Makarov (35) guards the net against Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period at Air Canada Centre. Maple Leafs won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Sabres have 15 games left on their schedule for the 2014-2015 NHL season. For some time now, the Sabres have sat in 30th place in the league — as of writing this, they’re three points behind the 29th-place Edmonton Oilers, and 14 points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, who sit atop the Sabres in the Eastern Conference standings.
Despite all of that, it wasn’t until just four days ago that the Sabres were officially eliminated from playoff contention. By that point, it seemed pretty evident that the team wasn’t headed for the postseason – they would’ve needed a couple of miracles, plus several teams to completely fall apart.
What’s interesting? Although the Sabres have been less-than-stellar for the majority of the season, the fans keep watching and showing up to games. The Sabres ranked 11th in attendance through the first 30 home games of the season.
The team continues to make headlines, whether locally or nationally. Discussions of “the tank” for McDavid or Eichel, the questionable future of Ted Nolan, and glances at up-and-coming young leaders like Tyler Ennis and Zach Bogosian continue to keep the Sabres in the limelight.
So things are still exciting. There are still questions – lots of them, in fact – moving forward. Here’s a few of them.
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