The Buffalo Sabres haven’t played well at home. Unless they have a reason to, and that will be the case on Ryan Miller Night against New York.
The Buffalo Sabres are just 9-12-0 at home this season, and have struggled even against lesser talent at times. But dating back to RJ Night last year, the Blue and Gold have also played well during commemorative games as far as recent history is concerned.
Just two weeks ago, they held a moment of celebration before the game for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. That game was an epic overtime win over the Minnesota Wild; a game where the Sabres looked down and out late until Rasmus Dahlin found twine at the 17:36 mark and Victor Olofsson scored the game-winner in the extra frame.
On December 29th, 2022, 19,070 fans packed the KeyBank Center just days following arguably the worst winter storm the area had seen. Tragedy marred the city earlier in the week, but once again, the Blue and Gold stepped up, hammering the Detroit Red Wings in a 6-3 win.
You can also go back to Rick Jeanneret’s final broadcast on April 29th when the Sabres played the Chicago Blackhawks. While their most recent outing against Chicago didn’t go well, just nine months ago, the Sabres knotted things up at two on an Owen Power goal with just over five and a half minutes to go. Casey Mittelstadt would seal the deal in overtime.
Buffalo Sabres show up for their fans when they’re most needed
And of course, we got RJ Night. The game occurred on April 1st, 2022, and everyone who attended vividly remembers that one. It was the night that kicked off all this recent success during special home games, and it saw the Sabres edging out the Nashville Predators, 4-3.
So yeah, the Sabres may be 9-12-0 at home this season, and they are currently riding a losing streak at the KeyBank Center. But their ability to rise up and play their best hockey during special home games is one reason why they can take tonight’s game.
(Historical data provided by Hockey-Reference)
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