Buffalo Sabres opportunity to upset Tampa is better than you think
By Sion Fawkes
Before the break, the Buffalo Sabres will have a huge advantage against the Tampa Bay Lightning that few are talking about.
The Buffalo Sabres have proven time and again that they are a better hockey team this season, sitting at 16-14-2 (34 points) as December reaches its later stages. Sure, they are only on pace for 87 points at the moment, but that’s 12 more than last season, and snagging 87, if they continue to improve at the same pace, will put them in the 99-100 point range in 2023-24.
And this Friday against the Tampa Bay Lightning they are in a prime position to upend a division rival that has dominated them for the greater part of the last few seasons. Including a game earlier this year where the Sabres squandered a big lead and lost to the Bolts in overtime. Don’t expect that to be the case this time around.
Buffalo Sabres have a nearly 96 hour break before their game vs. Tampa
The Sabres are coming off a huge win against who many believe are their inter-conference rival, the Vegas Golden Knights. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was stellar in the net, and the Blue and Gold won their first game at T-Mobile Arena in what was a hard-fought affair.
But the Sabres will be well-rested coming into their game with Tampa on Friday night. Meanwhile the Lightning are going through a road trip in which they will play in a back to back tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs and on the 21st against the Detroit Red Wings, before their game with the Sabres.
This gives the Blue and Gold roughly double the number of hours of rest between games while come the 23rd, it will be Tampa’s third matchup in four days. Add in home ice advantage for the Sabres, plus the fact it will be the final game of Tampa’s road trip, and Buffalo can easily head into the five day break with yet another W.
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They will return to the ice on December 28th for a home game against the Montreal Canadiens, which will be just their second game in nine days. In short, the schedule is working in the Buffalo Sabres favor to close out 2022.
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