Week 16 Atlantic Power Ranking: Buffalo Sabres still going strong

The Buffalo Sabres are riding a seven-game point streak heading into Week 16 and they can easily make it eight before the All-Star break. 

It came down to a shootout, but the Buffalo Sabres just missed extending their winning streak to six games on Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild. This narrow loss occurred without two staples in Dylan Cozens and Mattias Samuelsson in the lineup, and you have to wonder if their presence would have changed things.

But over an 82-game stretch, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. So you can’t blame head coach Don Granato for holding them out for at least another game. But even had Cozens and Samuelsson played and the Sabres suffered the same, or even a better result, it wouldn’t change where they stand in this week’s power ranking. Let’s check it out.

8 – Montreal Canadiens/20-26-4 (44 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 6

The Canadiens lost four out of their last five, and opponents outscored them 21-10 in that stretch. They have an opportunity to snap the streak before the All-Star break, however, with a tilt against the Senators coming up.

7 – Detroit Red Wings/21-19-8 (50 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 7

The Red Wings are at least beating teams they should theoretically beat on paper. Problem is, recent losses to the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers show they are still nowhere near where many expected them to be at this point in the season.

6 – Ottawa Senators/23-23-3 (49 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 8

The Senators are enjoying a three-game winning streak, so it’s gotten them out of the basement these days. But they’re still well behind other groups out there in the wild card race, including the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers, forcing me to rank them no higher than sixth.

5 – Florida Panthers/24-22-6 (54 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 3

Two weeks ago, the Panthers looked like they were getting hot. Then they dropped three straight games and allowed an astounding 17 goals in the process. Florida bounced back to beat the Boston Bruins though, and it kept them from experiencing a massive freefall.

4 – Buffalo Sabres/26-19-4 (56 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 5

When you win five games in a row, you move up a notch, and the Buffalo Sabres did just that. Their seven-game points streak also brought life back to the Blue and Gold as they head into the All-Star break this week on the outside looking in for a wild card berth.

3 – Boston Bruins/38-7-5 (81 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 1

These rankings always reflect a team’s overall and recent performance. And recently, the Bruins dropped three straight, sending them into their first “freefall” in a while. Something tells me they won’t stay here for long.

2 – Toronto Maple Leafs/31-12-8 (70 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 2

Besides their 6-2 slipup against the Ottawa Senators, the Maple Leafs have been among the league’s hottest teams. But the burning question always remains: Can they stay this hot for the rest of the year and into April?

1 – Tampa Bay Lightning/32-15-1 (65 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 4

The Lightning find themselves in the driver’s seat after bouncing back from last week’s stagnant effort. Tampa defeated the likes of the Los Angeles Kings, the Bruins, and the Wild to signify that yes, once again, this team is getting hot at the right time.

The All-Star break precedes Act III of the NHL season, and the Buffalo Sabres happen to be in the thick of things for the first time in a while. Optimism surrounds this team and if they can win their lone game this week, the Blue and Gold could theoretically enter Act III in one of the two wild card spots.

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