Power Rankings: Where Sabres sit after the NHL’s opening week
The opening slate of games in the new NHL season is well underway, and after the first week, the Eastern Division is wide open should a team get hot. The Buffalo Sabres got off to a bit of a rocky start in the win collum going 1-3-1, after being ranked around 19-22 in the pre-season polls.
Not unlike last week, one poll had Buffalo in a higher spot while the others appeared to echo the same lower-ranking number. The team is filled with new faces learning how to play with one another on the back of a short camp, getting their rhythm going, and giving coach Ralph Krueger insight as to how to tweak and adjust roster lines. In a season that is also short, the Sabres hope to figure it out quickly.
The good news is, despite the losses, they do seem to be starting to do exactly that. Making line adjustments, scoring and logging points in two out of the three losing efforts as well as an impressive 6-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Nonetheless, the team will need to continue to improve in the win collum if they hope to make progress towards a postseason berth.
Here’s a look at where the Sabres sit among national polls after week 1 in the NHL:
23. Buffalo Sabres, 1-2-0, 8th in East
“The Sabres have scored 11 goals. Taylor Hall or Jack Eichel have recorded a point on seven of them — five goals with them both notching a point.” – Jackie Spiegel
25. Buffalo Sabres
Previous ranking: 22
“The biggest shocker of the Sabres’ first win of the season (a 6-1 drubbing of Philly): The fourth line sparked the offense. Curtis Lazar scored two, Riley Sheahan had a beautiful assist and the recently demoted Jeff Skinner fired off a team-high eight shot attempts.” – Emily Kaplan
25. Buffalo Sabres
“They probably deserved a better result in one of those first two games, but this season is still going to be an uphill battle with that goalie duo in that division.” – Adam Gretz
25. Buffalo Sabres
“The Sabres are hoping to take a big step this season, but it’s an uphill climb in the ultra-deep East Division. It’s tough to know what to make of Buffalo just yet. Jeff Skinner did everything but score in the Sabres’ two losses. New addition Taylor Hall scored just seconds into the first power play of the season, but then the power play went 0-of-7. It’s a well-built team with a charismatic coach, but it might take time to figure out how to make it all work.” – Abbey Mastracco
25. Buffalo Sabres
“The underlying numbers are solid and suggest they deserve better than their rough start, and at least Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall are producing together at the top of the lineup. They’ve still lost three of four but if anyone knows that hot starts are overrated, it’s the Buffalo Sabres.” – Pete Blackburn
Next. A handful of firsts for Sabres, but they fall short in a shootout. dark
The Sabres haven’t moved much from the last power rankings, and the rankings they did move in, they dropped a few spots. Buffalo will look to make some moves up the rankings in the upcoming week with one more game against the Capitals, then two against the Rangers, and two against the Devils.