When did the Buffalo Sabres last win 11 games in a month?
The Buffalo Sabres beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in what may have been the most thrilling win in their 2021-22 season
The Buffalo Sabres most recent win makes it mathematically possible for them to win 11 games in March. Which would give them an 11-3 record for the month and an eight-game winning streak on top of that if they also notch a win on April 1st.
So when was the last time the Sabres won 11 games in a month, or eight straight games? When was the last time they won seven games in a month?
It’s been a while, given the Sabres recent seasons when they put on laughable performances over the past decade. Here’s a fun fact: If the Sabres eek out 11 wins this month, they will have, in one month, matched their win total from November 2021 to February 2022.
The Buffalo Sabres have an opportunity to win 11 games in a month for the first time in over three seasons
Just how much have the Sabres improved over the past 365 days? This time last year, literally, on March 24th, 2021, they were in the middle of an 18-game losing streak. Just one year ago today, they lost 5-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Oh, and on March 25th, 2021, the Penguins handed them another loss in a 4-0 shutout, effectively outscoring the hapless Sabres 9-2.
They eventually rebounded, snapping the streak and finishing the season 8-11-2. Not bad for a team that was one of the NHL’s worst from January to March 2021 when they compiled a record of 7-23-5.
Now that the needle looks like it’s pointing north for the Sabres, let’s relive a few moments. When did they last win 11 games in a month? 10 games? 7 games? When was their last big winning streak?
It’s fun to talk about these things other than debating when the Sabres will snap their next losing streak. This team has become fun to watch again for at least the short term. And if they continue to build the way they’re building, there will be many more fun nights at the KeyBank Center and on their numerous road trips.
Let’s go exploring. As Sabres fans, we earned the right.
When did the Sabres last win 11 games in a month?
The 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres could have been something special. They jumped out of the gate with a 6-4-2 record in October 2018, good to at least put the NHL on notice. Then in November, they went crazy, finishing the month 11-3-1.
Just how good were the Sabres in November 2018? They outscored opponents 48-33 from November 1st to November 27th.
As in March 2022, the Sabres won plenty of games in overtime, finishing with an OT record of 7-1. Three games went to a shootout, and they won each. The other five were decided in the overtime period, and the Sabres notched a 4-1 record.
By the month’s end, the Sabres had 37 points and were in control of the NHL’s Atlantic Division. But, as they had done so many times over the past decade, the team tailed off and finished the season with just 76 points.
The Sabres were not the same team from November 29th-onward, winning just 16 games between then and April 2019. To date, the 2018-19 season served as one of the team’s biggest letdowns. This was also the last time the Sabres won 10 games in a month.
When was the Sabres last three-game winning streak?
The Sabres win over the Penguins gave them their first three-game winning streak since the slate of opening games this season. Buffalo jumped out to a 5-2-1 mark in October 2021, outscoring opponents 12-4.
Craig Anderson notched a 2-0 record to start off the season while Dustin Tokarski held off the Arizona Coyotes in a fierce game that went to a shootout. Just another fun fact: The shootout win over the Coyotes was one of just three shootout wins for the Sabres between October 2021 and March 23rd, 2022.
Anderson saved 95% of his shots on goal, while Tokarski’s season debut wielded a .952 save percentage. Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons, who looked good against Pittsburgh, scored the team’s first two goals of the season in a win against the Montreal Canadiens.
Tage Thompson and Arttu Ruotsalainen sealed the game in the shootout against the Coyotes, while Okposo and Girgensons again kicked off the scoring frenzy in the next game against the Vancouver Canucks. Later, Thompson and Jeff Skinner gave Sabres fans a taste of what was to come later in the season with goals of their own.
When did the Sabres last win nine games in a month?
In October 2019, the Sabres once again looked like the hottest team in the NHL, winning five of their first six. An overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets provided the only blemish on an otherwise flawless record.
They opened the season outscoring opponents 10-3, including an unforgettable 7-2 win over New Jersey Devils. Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark shared the net, with each goalie suffering just one loss apiece in regulation and one apiece in overtime.
Over 19,000 fans packed the KeyBank Center to watch the Sabres home opener against Jersey on October 5th, 2019. In that tilt, fan-favorite Victor Olofsson netted two goals while the always-reliable Kyle Okposo joined the fun with a goal of his own.
Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, both of whom would later net the Sabres a ransom in trade compensation, combined for three goals, Jeff Skinner also logged a goal.
By the end of October, the Sabres enjoyed a 9-2-2 record. Unfortunately for them, they compiled an 8-15-5 record over the next two months. They would eventually show improvement in January, February, and March 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic ended their season early. This was also the last time the Sabres won eight games in a month.
When did the Sabres last win seven games in a month?
The Sabres rebounded in January 2020, notching an even 5-5 record. At one point in January, they stood at 5-2 for the month before a three-game skid ended things in an unceremonial fashion.
Fast-forward to February 2020. After starting the month with a 1-1-1 record, the Sabres won six of their next eight between February 7th and February 23rd. During that period, the Sabres defense and goaltending were among the league’s best, allowing over three goals in just one game: a 7-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
Unfortunately for the Sabres, they lost six-straight between February 26th and March 7th, before winning what would be their season finale in a thriller against the Washington Capitals on March 9th. It was a game that ended in a shootout, with Linus Ullmark taking the win.
The Sabres wouldn’t see the ice again until January 2021. And the closest they came to winning seven games in a month occurred in April 2021 when they posted a 6-8-2 record, and in October 2021, when they finished the month 5-2-1.
Of course, the Sabres spent much of this time getting younger, trading away former franchise cornerstones like Eichel, Reinhart, and Rasmus Ristolainen. Setting the stage for some growing pains that in March 2022, finally seem to be paying off.
When was the Sabres last eight-game winning streak?
Mathematically, the Sabres can embark on an eight-game winning streak if they finish the month of March with a perfect 4-0 record and win their first contest in April. And it’s also something the Sabres haven’t done since they knotted up 10 straight wins in November 2018 during their ill-fated 2018-19 campaign.
We discussed the team’s month of November in a previous slide, especially noting their number of overtime wins. So does this foreshadow things for this young Sabres team who just won three overtime games in a row?
Probably not. During the Sabres last eight-game winning streak, they were not a team in transition, as they are today. They weren’t hosting a fire sale regarding their veterans, but looking to contend. Fast-forward to March 2022, and the Sabres are a younger team whose blowout losses were nothing more than part of the rebuilding process.
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So, if you’re a Sabres fan seeing eerie similarities between the team’s last eight-game winning streak and March/April 2022, rest assured that this is a different team. This is a younger team gearing itself to make several playoff runs in the future. Don’t expect history to repeat itself. And instead, look for the Sabres to put together a few memorable winning streaks for years to come.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and NHL.com)