Buffalo Sabres division rivals’ 2023 offseasons Part IV: Storm Dissipating?

Verdict

So far, we have covered the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs, and all three teams could be shaky to start off the season. The Lightning are no exception to that, given their key losses over the offseason, so there could be some dysfunction among the bottom six early.

However, as with the aforementioned teams, there is still a lot of talent in the Bay Area, so don’t mistake their losses for taking too many steps back. Will the Buffalo Sabres compete with them the way they did last season? The Blue and Gold will probably be even better against the Bolts, and the same goes for at least Boston and Toronto.

But all four teams we have talked about so far have the Sabres beaten in experience. That will pay dividends for a Lightning team that will meet Buffalo twice (once on February 29th, and again on April 15th) when the playoff race heats up, along with a pair of meetings in October and January.

I’ll tell you this – Tampa will demand that the Blue and Gold match them in intensity. And how the Sabres react will determine whether they can overcome the Lightning when those likely meaningful games occur.

Source: Atlantic Division summer outlook: Leafs will try it again, Tampa Bay looking for one more Lightning strike by Mike Harrington, Buffalo News