Riding a three-game losing streak, the Buffalo Sabres are starting to look like they are once again delivering their fans fools gold.
The Buffalo Sabres have had a rough November. Since defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins after scoring a rash of goals in the third period, the Sabres have stumbled their way to a three-game losing streak, raising fears they once again enjoyed a hot start before freefalling back to Earth.
But this is a different Buffalo Sabres team. So far, they have six losses, and the losses to the Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Tampa Bay Lightning weren’t exactly debilitating, but in fact, decent measuring stick performances. Losing to the Arizona Coyotes, Seattle Kraken, and Montreal Canadiens were different stories, but only one was what you could call a blowout loss.
That said, I wouldn’t push the panic button and claim the Sabres are going to sink back into the NHL doldrums and fall out of contention by January. Yet, anyway.
The Buffalo Sabres simply need to adjust
We need to remember that Rasmus Dahlin pretty much played hurt against Carolina before missing the Tampa game. Ilya Lyubushkin would probably still be sitting out if the defensive rotation was healthier, and while the current defensemen in the rotation have stepped up well, there is still a drop-off between Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju to Kale Clague, Casey Fitzgerald, and Lawrence Pilut.
Opponents are also figuring out the Sabres weaknesses, and it’s a normal part of the growing process for young hockey teams to adjust. We saw this last night, where the Coyotes routinely took away inside shooting lanes and the Sabres could not provide an answer.
Hockey at the NHL level is full of adjustments, so when head coach Don Granato and company figure out how to retake those lanes, likely by playing more physical game to start things off, and when the Sabres lineup is back to full strength, you can expect the team to get back on track. It’s just a matter of when.
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