The Buffalo Sabres boast one of the NHL’s proudest and most loyal fanbases. But they have had little to celebrate for 11 seasons.
The Buffalo Sabres are turning the corner. Yes, finally, after 11 long seasons, the Sabres arrow is pointing north. It’s been a trying decade in which the team has provided plenty of fools gold. Remember the 5-2-1 start this season?
Or the 10-game winning streak in November 2018 in which the Sabres started the season at 17-7-3, only to record just 16 wins from December 2018 to April 2019? But now, in 2022, after another tumultuous start to the decade, the Sabres finally have a system in place. And that system shows just how well the team has meshed in March.
‘Young’ Buffalo Sabres coming together at the right time
Down 2-1 early in the second period to the mighty Toronto Maple Leafs, it was easy for Sabres fans to groan and say, “here we go again.” Here we go again as in, “how many points are the Leafs going to pile on the team today?” On national television, mind you.
Fortunately, it didn’t turn out that way. Peyton Krebs and Vinnie Hinostroza, two young Sabres looking to stick around long-term each scored a pair of goals. Krebs actually scored the team’s first goal, but had another on an assist from Dylan Cozens and Kyle Okposo. Tage Thompson later joined the scoring frenzy and sealed the 5-2 decision.
The Sabres on-ice chemistry has gone further than just scoring three or more goals over four of their past six games. When Rasmus Dahlin got into it with Auston Matthews, Cozens joined the fray even if it meant a 10-minute misconduct.
Following the game, Dahlin had fond words for Cozens, stating they and the rest of the roster were “brothers in the locker room.” Translation: the team’s chemistry has grown since their turbulent first half of the season that produced just 11 wins and 28 (not counting OTLs) losses from November to February.
The team’s first line, featuring Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, and Thompson have solidified themselves as a fixture for at least the foreseeable future. And with Krebs coming into his own with flashes from Cozens and Victor Olofsson, the Sabres are also brewing a trio of second-tier scorers.
And with five young defensemen each finding roles on the team, the Sabres are going to be fun to watch in the final month-and-a-half. Especially with Mattias Samuelsson and Casey Fitzgerald displaying their physical prowess.
Yeah, you can expect the occasional blowout. Sure, there will be some dysfunction. And yes, there will still be some flat moments. But you can also expect far more of what the Sabres have produced in March: Scoring frenzies that have led to wins.