The Buffalo Sabres have come a long way in such a short time that it is easy to get excited for the future, specifically October 2022
Someone would have laughed out loud had you predicted that, with two days to go in the 2021-22 NHL regular season, that the Buffalo Sabres and Vegas Golden Knights would carry the same points total on April 27th. Roughly 100 days following ex-Sabre Jack Eichel’s NHL debut.
But here we are:, on the morning of April 28th, 2022 The Sabres and Knights share the same points total, 33, since Eichel debuted in Vegas.
And with two games remaining for the Sabres (Bruins, Blackhawks), they can realistically finish with a higher points total than the Golden Knights since February 16th. Sure, both Eichel and the Sabres continued their respective infamous playoff droughts this season. But the point is, the Sabres progressed and the Knights regressed since Eichel debuted in Vegas.
The best-case scenario for Eichel? The Sabres lose out and the Knights win their final game of the season. Then he can at least say his Golden Knights finished with a higher point total than the Sabres (since February 16th). But that’s all the satisfaction he will get this season. Remember, he still lost in his homecoming at the KeyBank Center back in March.
If you predicted both a Sabres team rising from the doldrums, a Knights meltdown, juxtaposed by the Sabres spoiling Eichel’s homecoming, then right now, you look like a genius. Because all three predictions came true.
Since Eichel’s debut, minus the remaining games in February, the Sabres spent the previous two months evolving from the NHL’s most migraine-inducing squad to one who delivered beatdowns to some of the NHL’s best teams, most notably, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
So, what does the following season have in store for them? Here are three way too early bold predictions following a momentum-filled March and April 2022.