The Buffalo Sabres dropped their previous two contests and dropped in the Atlantic Division standings. But did they drop in the power rankings?
After two tough losses in an otherwise strong division, you may think the Buffalo Sabres would take a tumble. But it’s important to remember that this young, banged up team held its own against two of the Eastern Conference’s best.
Last season, games like these led to 5-0, 6-1, or worse. Two 5-3 losses show that this team is a different one that doesn’t necessarily like to give in. So where did they rank after Week 3? Find out below!
Where do the Buffalo Sabres stand after three weeks?
Not only have the Senators lost five straight, they have yet to earn a road win this season. For a team many expected to contend for the playoffs, the Sens have thus far been a disappointment. At least they still have 71 games to fix this mess.
The Canadiens went winless last week, but since they are basically in Year 1 of rebuilding mode, 5-6-1 after 12 contests isn’t a half-bad record. If Montreal keeps up this pace, they can call themselves overachievers (in a good way), and look toward 2023-24 with a lot of hope. Or they can stick around the playoff race for a while this year.
Talk about a tough road trip. The Panthers will likely bounce back this week, but how do you explain losing to the Arizona Coyotes before losing to a San Jose Sharks team that is currently in rebuilding mode? Then you lose Matthew Tkachuk for two games via suspension.
The Maple Leafs pulled off some huge wins over the past week against the likes of the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes. But given their relative inconsistencies, I’m not ready to catapult them up the rankings just yet.
The Red Wings got hot after their 8-3 meltdown on Halloween Night against the Buffalo Sabres. But that blowout loss is keeping them out of the Top 3 this week, even if they looked good in those last few games.
The Buffalo Sabres dropped from second to sixth in the Atlantic standings. But this group played two elite NHL teams on the road with half their defensive rotation missing. Against Tampa, their best player, Rasmus Dahlin was out. Yet they were winning that game halfway through the third. Progress is being made in Buffalo.
The Lightning struck with a solid week where they finished 2-0-1, including a big win over the Sabres. After a rough start, this team may be starting to find its stride and if they do, watch out.
The Maple Leafs finally put another blemish on the Bruins record. But at 10-2-0, they are still firmly entrenched as the top team in the Atlantic this week. They have a meeting with the Buffalo Sabres in just a few short days, and it provides Buffalo the opportunity to square off and face arguably the NHL’s toughest team in the early going.
Overall, the Sabres still deserve their third ranking despite dropping their final two games this week. The 8-3 win over Detroit and five-goal outing in the third period against Pittsburgh shows that this is a better hockey team that also nearly pulled off an upset without defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. If they bounce back this week, the Sabres will continue to reside in the top half.
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