Buffalo Sabres: Top 3 bold predictions for Week 9 – 2022
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres have evolved into one of the NHL’s better scoring teams. Will they stay high-octane? Let’s make some predictions.
The Buffalo Sabres stumbled over the past two games in meetings vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins. But the Penguins are an elite team in midseason form, and the Sabres aren’t quite there just yet.
And while things don’t get any easier this week regarding team talent (unless you count the Arizona Coyotes), the Sabres may be in better position than you think. Let’s make some predictions.
1 – Buffalo Sabres feast without Jeff Skinner
Sooner or later, the Sabres need to learn how to play solid hockey when they are down a few men, particularly a scorer. This week, the Blue and Gold won’t have Skinner for two games thanks to his cross-check on Jake Guentzel.
But with the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings allowing 96 and 112 goals respectively this season, look for the Sabres to enjoy a little goal feast even without one of their top scorers for the game against Los Angeles. The Blue and Gold will find the back of the net at least eight times across those two contests.
2 – Peyton Krebs scores three goals
It wasn’t long ago that I listed Krebs as one of my three Buffalo Sabres that needed to improve in December 2022. In recent games, however, Krebs certainly answered the call. The almost 22-year-old Krebs has two goals in his last three contests, and he is also in the green for the plus-minus category over his last five games.
With 18 hits in 22 games, Krebs is also becoming one of the more physical players on the roster. But this week, we are going to see more offense for the young forward, and my projection is that HE becomes the player who steps up in Skinner’s absence, given his most recent performances. Look for Krebs to knock down three this week.
3 – Sabres take two out of three
Unfortunately, I’m predicting a season sweep regarding the Colorado Avalanche. The good news? The Buffalo Sabres will avenge their earlier season loss against the lowly Arizona Coyotes in front of tens of people, but not before they pour it onto the Los Angeles Kings.
Must Read. How will the Buffalo Sabres fare in Week 9 – 2022?. light
Ideally, we would see the Sabres take all three games, but they aren’t ready to face elite teams like the Avalanche just yet. Even if the Avs aren’t as powerful as they were last season. However, given their tendency to score at will, the Blue and Gold can hang with and defeat the Kings.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
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