The Buffalo Sabres haven’t made the playoffs in over a decade, setting an NHL record in futility. But that may be ending sooner than many think.
A majority from a recent poll in Pro Hockey Rumors, which at the time of this writing had 1,629 responses, stated they believe the Buffalo Sabres will make the playoffs. Of the respondents, 59.18% answered Buffalo will “just barely” make the playoffs while 24.13% believe the Sabres will “just miss” the postseason .
In the next tier, 13.87% believed the Blue and Gold would “comfortably” make the playoffs and just 2.28% stated they would “miss completely.” This poll shows us that fan optimism is at an all-time high, and it should be.
The Sabres are coming off a seven-game points streak heading into their final game before the All-Star break. They have also gone on the road to beat the likes of the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets. Earlier in the year they defeated the NHL-leading Boston Bruins.
Will the Buffalo Sabres make the playoffs?
When you add the 59.18% believing the Sabres would “just barely” make it to the big dance while another 13.87% state the would make it comfortably, that’s roughly 73% of fans telling us “yes, the postseason drought is ending.”
As a Sabres-related article, chances are high that the majority of respondents are fans of the team. But nonetheless, it’s great to have an optimistic fanbase as January concludes and February arrives.
This time last season no one, not even the Sabres faithful, had a high opinion of this team. In fact, heading into February 2022, Buffalo had a measly 35 points and a record of 14-23-7, a far cry from the 56 points and 26-19-4 record they’re enjoying this season.
And how good has this team really been? Since their eight-game losing streak ended, they are 19-8-4, totaling 42 points in those 31 games. Not bad at all for the league’s youngest team that many felt was going to struggle once again in 2022-23.
Article Source: Poll: Will The Buffalo Sabres Make The Playoffs? by Josh Erickson
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