Three Sabres “hot takes” for the 2021 NHL season

3 of 3

Feb 13, 2020; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel (9) celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

1. The Sabres make the playoffs AND win a playoff series

This is the one everyone wants, for obvious reasons. The Sabres haven’t seen the playoffs in nine years. But this is the best Sabres team on paper that we have seen since the last time they made the playoffs. I know that being good on paper and being good on the ice are two different things, but hey, these are called HOT TAKES for a reason.

Any team that makes the playoffs out of the east division is going to be good, as it’s the best division in the NHL this year. If you can hang with teams like the Capitals, Flyers, Bruins, Islanders, Penguins, and Rangers and beat a few of them to get a playoff spot, you certainly deserve to be there.

No one is going to sleepwalk to a playoff spot in the East Division. I can almost guarantee that there is going to be at least one, maybe two, teams in the East Division that miss the playoffs but have more points than teams that make it from other divisions.

Next. What is the “best-case scenario” for the Sabres in 2021?. dark

But if the Sabres do make it, it means they are for real. There could be a real chance at getting a pretty favorable playoff matchup as a team out of the east. There is a good chance that the schedule they played during the regular season could be more difficult than a potential playoff matchup.

Home/Sabres News