There is a new cellar dweller in the Atlantic Division’s basement and it’s not the Buffalo Sabres.
The Buffalo Sabres have pulled off a few upset wins since March 2nd. No, it wasn’t always pretty during the first half of March. They suffered an embarrassing loss to the Florida Panthers and just a day before, fell to the Los Angeles Kings in a shutout.
But a win against the contending Minnesota Wild and a huge upset over Jack Eichel’s Vegas Golden Knights have kept the Sabres out of the basement. A few of their fellow bottom-dwellers also played well this week, but there is still an odd team out ranking below the Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres stay at Number Seven in the Atlantic Division power rankings
8 – Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings should be higher, but after allowing 27 goals amidst a five-game losing streak, they’re spending a week in the cellar. In this timespan they lost to the Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, and Tampa Bay Lightning. But the Arizona Coyotes handed them their worst loss in a 9-2 rout.
7 – Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres continued to show they are a team in transition. After defeating the contending Toronto Maple Leafs and Minnesota Wild, the Los Angeles Kings and Florida Panthers outscored them 9-1. But the win over powerhouse Vegas keeps them out of the basement. Next up: The Heritage Classic against the Maple Leafs.
6 – Ottawa Senators
The Senators dropped five straight including an embarrassing 5-8 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. But victories over Minnesota and the St. Louis Blues redeem them. They also had no trouble with the Kraken, but fell 6-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks.
5 – Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are 7-3 since February 17th. Their biggest accomplishment to date? An upset win in overtime against the Calgary Flames. The Canadiens may still have the worst record in the Atlantic, but their recent performances catapults them to fifth despite a recent loss to the expansion Seattle Kraken.
4 – Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs have struggled as of late. But there is such a huge gap between the top four and bottom four teams in the Atlantic that it’s hard to place them lower than four. Recent losses include a 5-1 thrashing by the Sabres, plus losses to Vancouver Canucks and Arizona Coyotes.
3 – Tampa Bay Lightning
Teams outscored the Lightning 15-6 in their last three outings, but before the three-game losing streak, they won seven of eight. They have a chance to snap the streak this Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks.
2 – Boston Bruins
Some teams just know when to get hot and the Bruins have been arguably the NHL’s hottest team since mid-February. Their recent success places them within one point of the mighty Tampa Bay Lightning.
1 – Florida Panthers
Sabres fans shouldn’t feel too bad following last Monday’s 6-1 debacle. The Panthers have scored six goals in three of their past five games, outscoring opponents 25-9 in that stretch.
Important: Records alone do not fully dictate these power rankings. Instead, it’s a mixture of records plus most recent performances, which explains Detroit’s freefall. Anyway, what do you think? Are the Sabres ranked appropriately?