The Buffalo Sabres are diving into what might just be the toughest part of their early-season schedule, squaring off against four playoff-caliber teams.
The Buffalo Sabres may be riding high on a two-game winning streak, and they need all the momentum they can get. Their next four games may be the toughest gauntlet yet, and unfortunately, they failed the first gauntlet miserably, defeating only the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins before dropping eight straight.
From November 25th to December 1st, the Sabres face the following teams:
- New Jersey Devils – 32 points
- Tampa Bay Lightning – 23 points
- Detroit Red Wings – 24 points
- Colorado Avalanche – 23 points
It’s safe to say this isn’t going to be an easy task and if the Sabres split here, they can consider themselves lucky. The two teams they have the best chance of beating in this latest gauntlet are the Lightning and Red Wings.
We already know what Tage Thompson and the Sabres can do against Detroit, and they weren’t necessarily slouches in their loss to Tampa earlier this season. Jersey will be tough to beat, given their ability to win on the road this season, and Colorado is never easy.
It does not get any easier for the Buffalo Sabres
Despite the tough outlook, I have always said that for teams like the Sabres, this is an opportunity. One that they can capitalize on and show to the NHL universe that they are better than what they showed during their eight-game losing streak.
Because at this point, those in NHL spheres are busy asking, Which version of the Buffalo Sabres are going to show up tonight? Every team is going to have a bad game, and every team is going to have a bad stretch of games, and the Sabres are no exception.
But unlike other teams, the Sabres have yet to completely bounce back from bad stretches. If they can eek out two wins here, and remain competitive in all four games, you are going to see the naysayers believe in this group a little more than they have been.
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