Atlantic Power Ranking: Buffalo Sabres move into unfamiliar territory

The Buffalo Sabres have remained hot, upsetting two of the league’s better teams on Tuesday and Saturday in an emotional week. 

They say fate never gives you a challenge that you can’t handle. And for the Buffalo Sabres, it’s been proven time and again that they can handle any challenge that comes their way, despite their relative youth.

This is what makes these Sabres different from those we’ve seen in the past. And it’s one reason I can’t see them floundering any time soon, as some believe will eventually occur.

And since they can handle a lot, they will also find themselves in unfamiliar territory in today’s power rankings. Let’s see where each team falls.

8 – Montreal Canadiens/16-21-3 (35 points)

Last Week’s Rank: 8

The Canadiens have continued to struggle, but at least they snapped their seven-game losing streak. During the streak, opponents outscored them 36-12. But hey, at least the streak’s over, right?

7 – Detroit Red Wings/16-15-7 (39 points)

Last Week’s Rank: 6

The Red Wings continue to drop in these rankings, and it doesn’t look like their freefall will end any time soon. This team has dropped its last three games and continues to lose ground in the wild card race.

6 – Florida Panthers/18-19-4 (40 points)

Last Week’s Rank: 7

The Panthers showed signs of life last week, but they are still the league’s surprise team for all the wrong reasons. Can they turn things around as we approach the second half of the season?

5 – Ottawa Senators/18-18-3 (39 points)

Last Week’s Rank: 5

The Senators may be in seventh place in the standings, but they’ve looked better than Montreal, Detroit, and Florida in their last ten games. That said, they snag fifth in the rankings for the second straight week.

4 – Tampa Bay Lightning/24-13-1 (49 points)

Last Week’s Rank: 2

The Lightning may be ahead of the Buffalo Sabres in points, but they dropped their last two games against the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets. They were also outscored 9-3 in those outings.

3 – Buffalo Sabres/20-15-2 (42 points)

Last Week’s Rank: 4

In three of their last four games, the Sabres pulled off stunners. Therefore, they get the nod over Tampa this week. Now the question remains: Can they get it done against the likes of Seattle and Winnipeg?

2 – Toronto Maple Leafs/25-9-7 (57 points)

Last Week’s Rank: 3

The Maple Leafs are once again a dangerous team. And with 141 goals scored, they aren’t far behind the Buffalo Sabres in the category. Expect the Leafs to contend for the second-best record in the East in the season’s second half.

1 – Boston Bruins/32-4-4 (68 points)

Last Week’s Rank: 1

Can anyone remember a team in recent memory that has been this good? I mean, yeah, it’s pretty neat that the Sabres were one of just eight teams to beat Boston, but some of your bottom-tier teams won’t even accumulate 68 points. Boston did this in 40 games. Just remarkable.

Overall, the Buffalo Sabres aren’t yet holding one of the two wild card spots. But if they play a patient game and keep up their high-octane ways, they will find themselves somewhere they haven’t been in a long, long time. And this is one of the NHL’s youngest teams? That’s remarkable within itself.

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