The Buffalo Sabres have improved this season. But such improvement hasn’t come without frustration. One of which are the perpetual late-game collapses.
With 77 points on the year, the Buffalo Sabres surpassed their previous mark of 75. And with nine games to go in the season, chances are, they could realistically hit the 85-point mark. Not enough for a playoff appearance, but if they keep trending north, they will inevitably be one of those eight teams playing in the postseason.
This year, they had a chance to break the playoff drought. And while the Blue and Gold are still mathematically in the race, their chances have grown slim. One reason is that they basically collapsed starting in late February with a home loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
On the bright side, however, is that the Sabres shouldn’t suffer such a fate this time next season. Here are three reasons why this is the case.
The Buffalo Sabres won’t suffer such embarrassing collapses next season
1 – Experience with individual roles
While the Buffalo Sabres have some experienced players, they are wildly inexperienced in their respective roles. This is Tage Thompson’s first season as a star player, for example, and Alex Tuch’s first season serving in a leadership role amidst a playoff race, a stark contrast from what was expected from him in Vegas.
Rasmus Dahlin is an alternate captain for the first time in his career, and even someone experienced like Zemgus Girgensons has also never found himself in such a situation as a leader. At least not this late in the season.
As the Sabres gain more experience in their respective individual roles, they will know how to deal with playing meaningful games late better than they have this season. And that will go a long way should they make a similar push in 2024.
2 – Experience playing under pressure
When you’re a young team outperforming expectations, you fall victim to an old adage I heard when I first entered the workforce a decade-and-a-half ago: “the better your job performance, the more others expect out of you.” When the Buffalo Sabres were in position to snag, and did snag for a short time, the WC2 spot, expectations changed and the pressure was on.
While the Sabres didn’t completely succumb to the pressure, we saw them toil through some of their worst performances of the season lately. Now that they know what to expect this time next season assuming they are in a similar situation, expect better overall performances and fewer stretches of terrible play.
3 – More experience on the roster for 2023-24
As the youngest team in hockey, it’s safe to say the Buffalo Sabres have one of the least, if not the least experienced roster. But it’s something you don’t realize unless you put things into perspective.
Rookie Owen Power is averaging 23:47 of average total ice time, second among skaters only to Rasmus Dahlin. Jack Quinn, J.J. Peterka, Peyton Krebs, and Mattias Samuelsson are all playing in their first full NHL seasons, and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is seeing his first taste of extended playing time in the NHL.
Next year, don’t be surprised when you see a few more young names, particularly Jiri Kulich, Lukas Rousek, and perhaps even Matt Savoie snag a spot on the roster. But at least the names listed above will have a full season of experience under their belts, and that will go a long way in 2023-24.
Source: Sabres Mailbag: How should GM Kevyn Adams react to the recent struggles? by Lance Lysowski, BuffaloNews.com