The Buffalo Sabres released their 2023-24 schedule yesterday, and while it had a few nightmare scenarios, there were also some good ones.
Yesterday, I outlined three nightmarish scenarios regarding the Buffalo Sabres schedule release. Today, it’s all about the positives, and I saw three that jumped out at me more than anything else.
Now, the dream scenarios listed below look good on paper at this time of the year. But the Sabres must take advantage of them to get ahead of the curve in the Eastern Conference playoff race, especially if they’re occurring around one of the listed nightmare scenarios.
Outlining 3 dream scenarios in the Buffalo Sabres 2023-24 schedule
1 – November to remember
The Buffalo Sabres were incredible on the road last season. And despite opening up with a brutal schedule to open the 2023-24 campaign, November looks quite favorable.
They have two games against the transitioning Philadelphia Flyers to open the month, before they play a pair of road games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes. Between November 10th and December 2nd, eight of their 11 games in that span are road affairs, and that could play into the Blue and Gold’s hands.
2 – All-Star break momentum?
In my Nightmare Scenarios piece, I listed the gauntlet between January 9th and February 15th as being unkind to the Buffalo Sabres. However, they have a break between January 23rd and January 27th, where they fly out to California and play the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks.
The Kings won’t be easy to beat, but the Ducks and Sharks are light years behind the Sabres. Despite the brutality of playing at home (assuming the Sabres have issues on their own ice again this season), the good news is that they can build some momentum heading into the All-Star break on this road trip. And that could help when they face a four-game homestand between February 6th and February 15th.
3 – End-of-season road trips
Once again, I based this article on the way the Sabres played last season, so come April, these dream scenarios can take a 180. But until they prove otherwise, I’m going to pump up the road outings, especially if they come toward the end of the year.
And the Buffalo Sabres end the year with four of their last five games on their opponents’ ice, with the last two coming against the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. And that Florida game may have some playoff implications.
Source: Buffalo Sabres Release 2023-24 Season Schedule by Melissa Burgess, DieByTheBlade.com