Don’t count the Buffalo Sabres out of the playoff race just yet
By Sion Fawkes
With 51 points, the Buffalo Sabres are well in the thick of the wild card race, sitting just three points behind the Penguins for the second spot.
At various times this season, the Buffalo Sabres looked down and out. In November, they toiled through an eight-game losing streak.
Then they hit another rough patch earlier this month. Their big win over the Dallas Stars last night, however, gave them their third straight win and fourth straight with at least a point.
With the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, who hold the top and second spots in the wild card race, slipping up lately, the Sabres have a chance not only to find themselves on the outside and looking in, if they’re not already there now, but to overtake at least the Penguins.
And the Sabres ironically enough, are in a favorable position. They are currently in the middle of a four-game road trip that will end on January 28th, and it plays directly into the Blue and Gold’s hands: Road games against tough competition.
The Buffalo Sabres thrive against tough teams on the road
Last night, I stated the Sabres beat the best teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences this season, or better yet, in the last 25 days. That’s impressive enough, but it’s also important to note both games came on the road, as have over half their wins this season.
So when I see the St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, and Minnesota Wild looming, I can’t cringe, knowing the Sabres take it to the NHL’s best outside their own arena. And better yet, Buffalo destroyed the Blues at home earlier this year and took one from the Wild in a thriller. So really, what’s facing off with the aforementioned teams in the Central Time Zone?
They really didn’t even look that bad against the Jets, even if they were off offensively that evening. But overall, things are looking up for an organization that hasn’t seen a playoff berth in 11 seasons.
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And with such a close race heating up, paired with the Sabres in position to play perhaps their best hockey given their propensity for overcoming some tough road obstacles lately, nobody can count them out of the playoff race just yet, or any time soon. If they can take two of these games, or even snag three points, it could serve as a major boost for this team as the All-Star Break approaches.
Article Source: Observations: Owen Power provides the OT juice as ‘Young Guy Andy’ wins for Sabres in his 700th game by Mike Harrington
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