The Buffalo Sabres ranked 17th in the Athletic’s latest version of the NHL power rankings. Should they have clocked in at a higher spot?
There is never a bad time to concoct some power rankings, and The Athletic always seems to be churning out new ones, even when there are just three teams left competing for the Stanley Cup. And for the first time in forever, the Buffalo Sabres didn’t rank somewhere in the 20s.
In fact, they were barely in the second half of the field. It’s been a while since we could say that at this point of the year. But was it a fair ranking after the team played better than most analysts, especially those at The Athletic, thought?
Buffalo Sabres get a fair ranking, but it could have been higher
Overall, I’m calling 17th a fair ranking, as they were one of 16 teams that didn’t see a playoff berth. However, all points and playoffs aside, you could make the argument that the Blue and Gold should have clocked in even higher.
The Winnipeg Jets, for example, ranked one slot ahead, and they are a team that appears to be heading for a rebuild, much to Connor Hellebuyck’s dismay. Or so it seems.
The Sabres also took two out of three games from the 15th-ranked New York Islanders, including an epic shutout win to keep what were slim playoff hopes alive. They also played the 14th-ranked Minnesota Wild well, along with the 12th-ranked New York Rangers.
Given how well the Rangers played, I would say Buffalo’s ceiling in any ranking should be 14th (the Los Angeles Kings were 13th, in case you were wondering, another team that should be in front of Buffalo). But could the Blue and Gold have dropped from 17th?
The Ottawa Senators came in ranked 18th, and Buffalo split the season series with them. So while you could make the argument, I’d say it’s a fairly accurate ranking. The Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins both played the Sabres well, but both teams may be heading for a rebuild.
Overall, 17th is a solid spot for our Buffalo Sabres, and a fair one. But they could have also ranked higher considering the impending rebuild from the Jets, and of how well they played the Isles and the Wild.
Source: NHL Power Rankings: Which team is next in ‘Succession’ for the Stanley Cup? by Dom Luszczyszyn and Sean Gentille, The Athletic.com