The Buffalo Sabres are a young hockey team and they are one that has a plethora of major issues. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t some hope here.
The Buffalo Sabres are 7-8-0 and the owners of a five-game losing streak. That said, there are some serious issues plaguing the Sabres. But it’s not all doom and gloom, thankfully. If that were the case, the team would be as bad as Columbus or San Jose.
And let’s be frank: The Sabres were busy posting a shutout over the first 38 minutes of their 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins last night. Over their five-game losing streak, they also had the misfortune of playing the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, and the Boston Bruins. I have no doubt that you will see at least one of these groups playing for the Stanley Cup, and perhaps three of them in their respective Conference Finals.
So yeah, the Sabres have gotten a raw hand here, and the aforementioned teams, plus the Arizona Coyotes, exposed massive issues that are a byproduct of young hockey teams. But let’s look at three reasons why these Sabres also offer bright rays of hope, even when shrouded in darkness.
1 – Taking chances
If there is one big difference between the Buffalo Sabres of this season and last year’s version, it’s that the 2022-23 Sabres take far more shooting chances. No, their shot selection hasn’t been very good at times. In fact, there are games where it has been downright abysmal, but at least they aren’t afraid to thread the needle, and that’s Step One.
Once this team starts driving the puck toward the net consistently, you’re going to start seeing a lot of those shots on goal find the back of the net. They also need to get quicker with taking one-timers, something that will also come in time and will eventually yield positive results.
2 – Franchise cornerstones
When you watch the Buffalo Sabres, you will notice that a few players stand a head and shoulders above the others. It’s been a while since we could legitimately say that, with players like Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart arguably serving as the closest, which isn’t saying much.
In 2022-23, Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson don’t just have their names in All-Star Team conversations; they could easily win some hardware like the Norris Trophy in Dahlin’s case at the end of the season. Other potential cornerstones, like Owen Power, have also come along strong during the toughest stretch of the team’s schedule to date in this young season.
3 – Buffalo Sabres played decent hockey
"“The last two nights, if we play like that moving forward, we’re going to win a lot of games sticking with it,” – Tage Thompson – via Buffalo News."
When you lose five straight games, there is a clear reason behind it, and a young team like the Sabres are prone to major issues. However, as much as the issues have reared their ugly heads over the last few contests, the Sabres actually had some good moments against Vegas and Boston.
Last night, the Sabres faced a team that had scored 57 goals in 14 games – They posted a shutout through most of the first two periods. Not bad for a group with a patchwork defensive rotation with a 41-year-old goaltender, might I add.
The Sabres were also not as mistake-prone over the past two contests against two teams who could easily meet in the Stanley Cup Final. Yes, they are still mistake-prone, as all young teams are, but the number of mistakes were at least trending south, a good sign and one that can hopefully continue moving in that direction.
Article Source: Observations: Sabres drop fifth straight, show they’re ‘still learning’ in loss to Bruins by Lance Lysowski
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