November 2022: Stakes are higher this week for the Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres may have failed the gauntlet test, but now they face an even tougher test with two more divisional matchups coming up.
The Buffalo Sabres need to return to the win column, and with weaker opponents this week, they have an opportunity. The downside? Their games vs. the Vancouver Canucks and the Ottawa Senators occur in back-to-back fashion, with a trip north of the border in store for the hardluck Sabres.
Overall, the stakes are higher this week because despite failing the gauntlet test, a young hockey team like the Sabres were not expected to win most of those outings. Against opponents like the Canucks and Senators, everyone in the Queen City should be expecting their hometown team to take both contests, especially since the Sabres have beaten them in October. So yeah, the pressure is on.
There is one other upcoming opponent we need to discuss, and that opponent is another one fans in this city are also expecting the team to snag the W against.
Atlantic Division opponents make this a pivotal week for the Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres will get a nice tune-up against Vancouver before they travel to Ottawa to try and make it two in a row against Brady Tkachuk and the Senators. Ottawa has just 11 points so far this season and the Sabres cannot afford to drop this game if they are interested in staying out of the Atlantic’s basement while simultaneously trying to prove once more they are better against the league’s weaker teams.
Then we got the game against Toronto. While the Sabres embarrassed the Maple Leafs three times in March and April last season, expect Toronto to come in looking to show the NHL they can beat up on their “weaker” neighbors south of the border. But this matchup will also be pivotal as it will determine the Sabres position in the Atlantic as they near the first quarter mark of the season.
Wins against Ottawa and Toronto will immediately work wonders for the Sabres in what might be the NHL’s toughest division. Losses to both clubs will set the Sabres into a hole so deep, a sense of urgency will develop for a team that at least hopes to stick around the wildcard race for a while.
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Sure, it’s still early, but losses even at this point in the season will start to shrink the team’s margin of error. And things won’t get any easier next week as the Sabres skate into Montreal and take on the somewhat surprising Canadiens.
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