The Buffalo Sabres released their schedule earlier today, and there are a few nightmare scenarios from October 12th, 2023 until April 15th, 2024.
The Buffalo Sabres were a strange hockey team in 2022-23. When they traveled into a different time zone, they almost always won. But when they played in the KeyBank Center, they looked like the young and inexperienced hockey team that we all thought they’d be.
So when dissecting the schedule, I saw a few major homestands that I didn’t quite care for. I also noticed that the Blue and Gold are going to be playing a plethora of games against tough opponents when the playoff race heats up. Let’s explore these nightmare scenarios in greater depth.
Outlining 3 nightmare scenarios in the Buffalo Sabres 2023-24 schedule
1 – A BRUTAL six-game stretch to open the season
As mentioned, the Buffalo Sabres struggled at home last season. And this year, they get to open the season with five home games in their first six outings between October 12th and October 23rd.
Want more fun? Check out their opponents. They get to play the New York Rangers, Islanders (road game), Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames, the Islanders again, and finally, the Montreal Canadiens. Yeah, 2023-24 is going to be a Season of Truth, and the gauntlet begins on opening night.
2 – A meaningful gauntlet in March
There are 31 days in March, and the Blue and Gold will be suiting up for 15 of those days. Last season, we got to see our team play meaningful games during the NHL’s penultimate month in the regular season for the first time in forever.
This time around, they will be playing a very meaningful game to open the month – a home outing against, you guessed it, Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights. Of those 15 games, NINE will come against teams that made the playoffs last season.
3 – 12-day, six-game homestand in January
As a team that is one year more experienced, maybe the Buffalo Sabres won’t play so poorly at home this season. But I’m still cringing at the six straight home games they’ll be playing between January 9th and January 20th.
They have another stretch of five straight home games toward the end of the season, before four of their final five occur on the road. But I’m not as concerned with them based on the fact that, following the six-game homestand between the 9th and 20th, they’ll play another four straight home games between February 6th and February 15th following a three-game California road trip between January 23rd and January 27th.
That’s 10 home games in 13 outings. So yeah, the Buffalo Sabres MUST play better at home this season if they want to avoid the above nightmare scenarios.
Source: Buffalo Sabres Release 2023-24 Season Schedule by Melissa Burgess, DieByTheBlade.com