Where were the Buffalo Sabres this time last season?
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres are still not a perennial playoff contender, but they have come a long way since December 2021 in just about every facet.
The Buffalo Sabres have earned 34 points in 32 games this season, quite a remarkable turnaround from December 2021, where they earned just 25 points. This time last year, the Blue and Gold sat at a horrendous 10-17-5 with a dysfunctional team marred by injuries and overall inconsistent play.
Fast-forward to December 2022, and a lot has changed. Next to the fact they have nine more points this season, the Sabres also stand at 16-14-2, good for fifth place in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Buffalo also has 127 goals, compared to just 87 over their first 32 games between October and December 2021. If you did the math, that is a 40 goal difference. Break it down into goals per game, and the Sabres sit at 3.968 points per game. Last season after 32 games, they were toiling at a measly 2.718, roughly a 1.2 goal differential.
Buffalo Sabres are a much improved team in December 2022
Although the Sabres saw a dip in their performance during the first half of November 2022, they bounced back with a 9-3-2 record (20 points) in the games since. At 16-14-2 in December, this team is also 32-23-5 (69 points) since March 2nd, 2022. Not outstanding, but definitely far better than what they were over their previous 60 contests leading up to December 2021.
Between March 18th, 2021 and December 2021, the Sabres were just 19-33-8 (46 points), a 23-point differential than they were between March 2022 and December 2022. When you really think about it, this Sabres team is nearly night day since the Don Granato Era started.
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If the Blue and Gold can keep this run going, expect them to at least contend into perhaps the final week of the 2022-23 season. And with this team growing in experience with each passing week, you can also look for them to play even more competitive hockey into 2023.
(Historical information provided by Hockey-Reference)
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