Buffalo Sabres have opportunity to show they are no bottom-tier team
The Buffalo Sabres are one of the NHL’s highest-scoring teams and they can easily put the San Jose Sharks away tonight at the KeyBank Center.
The Buffalo Sabres still lurk in the bottom half of the NHL in points, but that was expected. With 2022-23 intended to be a building year and the second full season of the process, few should have expected playoffs. Often what general manager Kevyn Adams is trying to do takes roughly five seasons, and the road map looks something like this:
- 2021-22 to 2023-24 – Building
- 2024-25 – Playoffs
- 2025-26 – Contention for the Stanley Cup
I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but serious contention for the playoffs won’t occur until the following season. Not that things can’t happen before then, they most certainly can with this high-scoring team, but let’s have a sense of realism here .
The Sabres can also start trouncing teams they are currently ahead of in the process. While the results have been roughly 50-50 so far, such as losing to the Montreal Canadiens in October, only to blow them out in November, the Blue and Gold have a chance to wreak more serious havoc tonight against the San Jose Sharks.
Buffalo Sabres can evoke serious damage tonight
As of Saturday, December third, all signs point to the “legendary” Aaron Dell starting in the net for San Jose. Dell has one start this season and he looked great in a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But we also know how Dell often looks when between the pipes. Last season, and in 2020-21, he allowed an average of four goals per game, and saved fewer than 90% of his shots on goal. Not that it’s a good way to gauge a goaltender’s performance, but Dell’s record since 2020-21 has been 2-14-1, so it’s safe to say he’s seen better days in the league.
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Given Dell’s recent performances overall, plus the Sabres high-octane approach, they can easily hit the 5-6 goal mark tonight. Look for the likes of Tage Thompson and Company to get the sticks going, and hopefully, they can play a little defense in this one too as the game wears on.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
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