The Buffalo Sabres have won eight games in a month for the first time since October 2019, when they finished the month with a 9-2-1 record.
Following a big win on Monday night, the Buffalo Sabres won more games in March than they did this past December, January, and February combined. With their big win over the Chicago Blackhawks, the Sabres improved to 8-3-1 in March with one game looming against the Winnipeg Jets.
Now that the Sabres look like they’re on the right track, what did this team in transition look like the last time they won eight games in a month? And how is today’s version of the Sabres different than the one that graced the ice in 2019-20?
How far have the Buffalo Sabres come since October 2019?
In October 2019, Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark were in a timeshare at goaltender. Ullmark finished 17-14-3 that season, and he also stuck around for 2020-21, posting a 9-6-3 campaign before heading to Boston this season.
Hutton recorded a 12-14-4 record. And like Ullmark, he finished the 2020-21 season with the Sabres, logging a cringing 1-10-1 record before taking off for Arizona.
That season, the now-infamous duo of Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart led the team in scoring, with Eichel serving as the team’s leading scorer with 78 points in 68 contests. Reinhart put up 50, while Victor Olofsson took third-place honors with 42 points.
Rasmus Dahlin was also coming into his own, with 40 points in 59 games. Other current Sabres who were on the team then included Jeff Skinner, Zemgus Girgensons, Kyle Okposo, Henri Jokiharju, Colin Miller, Casey Mittelstadt, and Rasmus Asplund. Tage Thompson was also on the team, but he played in just one game.
With so many new names, the 2021-22 version of the Sabres look completely different than the team that won nine games in October 2019. The 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres were also headed in the wrong direction, logging a 21-29-6 record from November to March.
Today’s Buffalo Sabres, obviously, are a little different, considering their abysmal 16-30-8 record from October to February 2022. Today’s Buffalo Sabres have progressed, unlike the 2019-20 team.
Yeah, you can expect more growing pains and blowouts that became a bit of a theme earlier this season. But you can also expect immense growth. Because today’s Buffalo Sabres are just getting started, turning the right corner, and pointing the needle north.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)