Buffalo Sabres: Bold predictions for the upcoming homestand – March 30th
The Buffalo Sabres have become a good hockey team at least throughout March
The Buffalo Sabres are looking to take their momentum into April after an outstanding month. And while the Sabres have shown us fools gold with strong months in recent memory, only to wind up cooling off, this Sabres team holds a different flair.
Why? Because unlike in years’ past, where they would have a strong October or November, this team has gotten better toward the end of the year. The playoffs are out of the question, and sooner than later the Sabres will have that infamous lowercase e beside their name for the 11th straight season.
Moral victories don’t exist, but this season holds an epic story arc. The Sabres had a phenomenal month in October 2021 before they fell victims to injury and illness. They struggled throughout November, December, and January, before a six-game losing streak in February put this team at rock bottom.
In March, the Sabres still saw the occasional blowout loss. In fact, they were steamrolling toward another blowout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks before they got the sticks swinging and the pucks found twine.
That game, capped off with one of the most improbable game-winning shots in recent NHL history from Tage Thompson, literally defined what the Sabres became in March. A bunch of Kardiac Kids, literally kids considering their youth, showing their long-suffering fanbase that the postseason drought is nearing its end.
It’s not another hopeless ending to the season that so many Sabres fans have become accustomed to seeing. Instead, it’s Chapter One in what will become one of the NHL’s more inspiring stories of the 2020s, assuming this team sticks together.
But for the near-future, what can we expect from the Buffalo Sabres in their upcoming homestand from March 30th to April 5th? Here are three bold predictions.
Sabres win another revenge outing
The Sabres traded defenseman Robert Hagg to the Florida Panthers before the trade deadline. While Hagg was a good guy, he wasn’t a good fit for the Sabres, lacking the physical prowess he showed during his time with the Philadelphia Flyers, although he had his moments.
But Hagg isn’t the player the Sabres are looking to exert revenge on. That player would be former forward Sam Reinhart. Of course, the last time these two teams faced off, Hagg was still wearing royal blue and gold and Reinhart’s Panthers embarrassed the Sabres on their home ice.
This time, the Sabres will serve Reinhart the Jack Eichel treatment, which they put on display in a 3-1 win over Eichel’s Vegas Golden Knights. The highlight? A toss-up between Eichel’s postgame rant about Sabres fans and Alex Tuch stealing the puck from Eichel and scoring on an empty-netter in the game’s final seconds.
So who’s getting the honors here? Reinhart is presently one of the NHL’s better players. So let’s go with a player who has soundly revived his career with the team this season and effectively replaced Reinhart.
Tage Thompson will steal that puck and sink the empty-netter as the Sabres steal one from the Panthers in a 5-3 win. Let’s go ultra-bold and predict Rasmus Dahlin causes Reinhart’s hesitation, allowing Thompson to swoop in and steal.
Sabres continue their Kardiac Kids run
The Sabres nearly went into overtime for the sixth straight game in their thrilling win over the Chicago Blackhawks. But it wasn’t meant to be, thanks to Tage Thompson’s wayward game-winner. But had the game lasted another 12 seconds, we may be writing a different article.
Anyway, the Sabres will upset the Panthers in regulation, but they will wind up in overtime at least once during this homestand. It won’t happen against Winnipeg, which leaves the Nashville Predators and the Carolina Hurricanes – two tough opponents.
But nothing the Sabres can’t handle, right? They’ve beaten plenty of playoff-caliber teams in March while becoming a fun team to watch. Especially when they force overtime, considering their notable wins over the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins.
So expect another overtime outing. And look for at least three close games as the Sabres try to end the season on a positive note as we steamroll into April. And yeah, expect the Sabres to at least split on this homestand in four thrillers.
Victor Olofsson and Casey Mittelstadt shine
Two months ago, few in the Sabres faithful had good things to say about Victor Olofsson and Casey Mittelstadt. And you can’t blame them. Neither lived up to their lucrative contracts while Olofsson looked as though he took a step back and Mittelstadt struggled to stay health. And when on the ice, he struggled to produce.
However, Oloffson has played lights out since the All-Star break ended with 12 points and nine goals. Meanwhile, Mittelstadt has been on fire with six points in the last five games and 10 points since returning to the ice on February 19th.
Both Mittelstadt and Olofsson have become two of the better players on the ice and they augmented their game in March. Look for them to start off April with solid performances in which they both put up at least one multi-point game for the homestand.
Sure, both players will cool down at some point. But look for them both, even following the homestand, to maintain a level of consistency that will coax the front office to bring back both players for 2022-23.
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Maybe Mittelstadt and Olofsson will remain with the team beyond 2023 considering the Sabres keep them around. Maybe they won’t. But both will make the case for sticking around long-term.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)