We are just about a week from the Buffalo Sabres first game of the season and what a measuring stick the month of October will be for the team.
Can you believe it? We are eight days away until the Buffalo Sabres begin their 2022-2023 regular season. There’s a brand new energy surrounding this team for the first time in a long time and it will be interesting to see if they can build off from last year. With that being said, October will be a tough month for the Sabres, the first half at least.
Even though it looks like a daunting task, I believe this team can have a good month despite facing tough opponents. If last year taught Sabres fans anything, it’s this team can hang in there against the elite teams of the NHL.
Looking at the schedule, I’m going to focus on the first week in October. Right off the bat, Buffalo will take on two divisional opponents. First up, the home opener against the Ottawa Senators. This will be the first measuring stick matchup for the Sabres because these are one of the teams Buffalo could be competing with for a wild card spot.
Look for a rivalry renewed between the Buffalo Sabres and Senators
Last year, the Senators showed some fight for a team who is in a similar spot like the Sabres. Ottawa got way better this past offseason and it won’t be an easy task. But I want to see how Buffalo does against a much improved Senators team.
Up next, the powerhouse Florida Panthers. With the addition of Matthew Tkachuk, the Panthers got even better. Unfortunately for Buffalo, they didn’t beat Florida at all last season. This will be another measuring stick game because this is a great test for the Sabres right from the get-go.
It will be a great test for Buffalo to see if they can hang in there with one of the NHL’s powerhouses. The last two games I will talk about will happen in Western Canada. Up first, the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton went to the Western Conference Finals last year and everyone knows how good they are.
Once again, another powerhouse opponent for Buffalo to see if they can compete with a Stanley Cup contender. Lastly, the Calgary Flames. Even though the Flames lost their two best players in Jonathan Gaudreau and the aforementioned Matthew Tkachuk, they could be a Stanley Cup contender.
Despite those losses, they added Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri. It will be another tough task for Buffalo but I believe they compete with the Flames and try to earn a win.
Bottom line, the Buffalo Sabres will not have an easy schedule during the first week of the season. Not only am I excited to see them back, but I’m excited to see if they have what it takes to take on some of the good teams in the league.