3 bold predictions for the Buffalo Sabres upcoming road trip
The Buffalo Sabres ended their homestand with a big win at the Heritage Classic against the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Buffalo Sabres will take a trip north of the border for a three-game road trip before they head back home to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. And it’s a road trip that will challenge the Sabres. Not only are the Flames, Canucks, and Oilers contending, but the Sabres will deal with playing three games in a four-day span.
Recently, the Sabres struggled when forced to play back-to-back games. The most recent example was an embarrassing 9-1 meltdown to the Los Angeles Kings (3-0) and Florida Panthers (6-1). Add a road trip out west to the equation, and the Sabres may again struggle.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t get bold. So let’s have some fun and outline three bold predictions for the Sabres upcoming road trip, with one prediction for each game.
Sabres outshoot Oilers in all three periods
The Sabres have taken more shots than all but three teams in the league. Which is saying something, since they love to embark on cold streaks. Now, most of their 1,836 shots have come when they’re trailing and therefore, trying to score often.
Although the Sabres scored four-straight to make quick work of the Toronto Maple Leafs, even their division rival, the second period saw the Leafs taking twice as many shots as the Sabres. This time, the Sabres, who won four of their past six against playoff contenders, will get a little more aggressive.
Not that outshooting the Oilers in all three periods will guarantee a win. The Sabres are still a struggling franchise. But they will give themselves plenty of opportunities to leave Edmonton with a W before their dance with Calgary.
Peyton Krebs shines in homecoming
Peyton Krebs returns to his birthplace and plays lights out. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the “essentially” rookie center/winger logged two goals in 14:20 of ice time. With four points in the previous five games, Krebs has further shown growth since arriving in Buffalo.
This isn’t to say Krebs will put the NHL on notice – he’s not going to play on the team’s top line any time soon. But you can bet that Krebs will eventually solidify his spot on the second scoring line, probably alongside Dylan Cozens.
So what’s the bold prediction for Krebs this Friday? Let’s get ultra bold and say he will contribute four points, two goals and two assists. His play will continue to turn heads, proving he was a better hockey player than the Vegas Golden Knights gave him credit for.
Speaking on Krebs’ performances, there is only one thing to say: Get used to them. He will only get better.
Sabres take advantage of two power plays against the Canucks
The Sabres may not have the best power play or PK unit in hockey, but no PK unit has performed as poorly as the Canucks. And despite the Sabres succeeding on just 19.4% of their power plays, the Canucks have killed off a league-worst 70.6% of them.
This provides a golden opportunity for the Sabres, who have seen their scoring units come to life as of late. Minus their 9-1 meltdown to the Los Angeles Kings and Florida Panthers, the Sabres have scored 22 goals in their past four wins.
Look for their scoring to come to life again versus Vancouver. And as with the Edmonton game, this isn’t to say they’re going to win in the finale of this mini-road trip. But with the PK unit taking on two goals, expect the Sabres to hang with Vancouver throughout the contest.
The Sabres road trip begins Thursday, March 17th at 9:00pm in Edmonton. They will look to extend their winning streak to three games for the first time since October.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)