3 ways the Buffalo Sabres can snap out of their historically bad slump

The Buffalo Sabres are stuck in a historically bad slump, but they are also capable of snapping out of this mess they’ve gotten themselves into.

In the first 58 games of the season, the Buffalo Sabres looked like a team that would sneak into the playoffs as a wild card. Sure, they had their ups and downs, but far more ups while they forged an identity as an all-out offensive team capable of beating any opponent.

Since February 28th, the wave of historically bad performances led to many fans wondering, “What happened to this team?” Knowing how badly the Sabres have dealt with pressure this season, it’s logical to say they caved, and that the playoff race was too much for the league’s youngest team.

Now that they should be back in their zero-pressure comfort zone since the playoffs likely won’t occur until 2023-24 at the earliest, maybe now the Sabres will bust out of that slump. Here are three ways they can turn things around and at least snag a respectable finish to the season.

How can the Buffalo Sabres break their historically bad slump?

1 – Stop turning the puck over so much in the offensive zone

When you allow hordes of odd-man-rushes and breakaways, you clearly have a problem in transition. For a team whose speed is their greatest asset, you’d think they’d have an easier time with this, but there is one major reason they’re allowing so many easy opportunities for opponents.

The Sabres are turning the puck over way too much. Why? You often see them passing the puck at an alarming rate when they are getting good looks and should be taking would-be shots that are given to them. Not every shot will find twine, but they need to take them anyway and see if they can get a rebound.

2 – Stop leaving portions of the ice wide open in the defensive zone

If you watch replays or condensed versions of games, you will notice that the Sabres love to drift toward whatever side of the ice the puck’s on. The problem? They’re leaving portions of the ice open for an opponent to sneak in and go one-on-one with their goaltender.

And there are not just one or two players doing this. It’s been a collective effort that’s been a problem all season, not just recently. But when the team is playing a sloppy offensive game that’s leading to a multitude of turnovers, the Sabres, after 70 games, should realize that collectively playing one side of the ice is a recipe for their opponents to score easy goals.

3 – Do something different offensively

I feel like I’m watching syndicated episodes of the Buffalo Sabres trying, and failing, to take the puck through the neutral zone and into the slot. Sure, this worked earlier in the season when they were catching teams off-guard, but opponents have since figured the Blue and Gold out.

If the Buffalo Sabres don’t mix up their game and change a variable or two offensively, you’re going to keep seeing poor offensive performances from what was once one of the league’s top scoring teams. Perhaps they should try to establish a forecheck? At this point, any switch up will work in their favor. But they need to put it into practice, and we’ll see if they will in their game against the New Jersey Devils.