Prediction! Will the Buffalo Sabres breakout in October 2022?

The Buffalo Sabres are a more talented team, at least on paper, in August 2022 than they were just 365 days ago. Will that translate to October?

The Buffalo Sabres have brought a new sense of optimism back to the KeyBank Center, and hopefully, that optimism continues throughout training camp in September and into the regular season.

As you may have already read, Zach and I are making our own respective predictions for each month of the regular season. If you haven’t already checked out his projections, please do by clicking the link at the end of this article.

And if you are interested in hearing my predictions for October 2022, keep reading. Because what I got to say just might surprise you.

The Buffalo Sabres will open their season with TWO wins against Atlantic Division rivals

Yes, the Sabres will take it to both the Ottawa Senators and the Florida Panthers at home. While I see Ottawa and Florida becoming rather formidable later in the season, there will also be a learning curve involved with these two teams given some roster turnover. Expect the Sabres, who for once, have more experience playing as a team, to take advantage.

Then comes that early-season road trip, with the Edmonton Oilers as the first team on the slate. I can’t see it happening here, and the Sabres will drop their first road game of the season. But they will come back strong in Calgary, another team with some turnover, and take it in a nail-biter.

However, the Sabres momentum won’t be a difference-maker in facing a Canucks team that retained enough pieces in the offseason to remain competitive in 2022-23. But they will end the road trip with a win over the Seattle Kraken, though I also foresee Seattle making some noise later in the season out west. They just need to mesh first.

Then, the Sabres will swing back home to face the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, and Detroit Red Wings. And overall, I am projecting three up, three down, as the Sabres prepare the brooms heading into November for a showdown with the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins. But that, is for another article.

Overall, the Canadiens and Blackhawks are in rebuilding mode, and the Sabres hold the edge in experience over both. There is no way the two franchises stack up so early. As for my take on Detroit, I mentioned it before: They are a bunch of guys thrown together, strangers in red helmets. As with Montreal and Chicago, look for the Sabres to beat the Red Wings.

This leaves the Sabres starting the season off in October 2022 in a similar fashion as they did in October 2021. So they will start the season at 7-2-0, good for 14 points. But if the Sabres really want to prove they’ve grown up, they need to figure out how to maintain that competitive edge in November.