In my October predictions, the Buffalo Sabres didn’t start off hot, but they weren’t terrible, either. Will the first half of November look better?
I had the Buffalo Sabres finishing October 2023 at 4-4-1, not the hottest start, but it’s also not the worst. But in November, they begin their series against a team that, for the most part, dominated them in 2022-23, the Philadelphia Flyers.
And this time, the Blue and Gold take it in back-to-back games, opening November with a 2-0 start. The Toronto Maple Leafs also got the best of the Sabres in two of their three meetings in 2022-23, and that trend will continue, with the Leafs taking it in regulation.
The same will go for the Sabres in their road matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, before they return home to square off against the Minnesota Wild. Buffalo and Minnesota faced off in a pair of memorable outings last season, and this one will be no different. Let me get bold for a second and project that Jordan Greenway will sink the game-winner in overtime.
Buffalo Sabres start the month of November 3-2-0, and…
The Sabres will play the ultra-experienced Pittsburgh Penguins on the road, but the latter will use that experience to edge out the Sabres in overtime. Buffalo will then play yet another team that dominated them in the Boston Bruins, and Boston will once again roll over the Sabres – but not by much.
Unfortunately for the Sabres, they will be facing some November woes and will have a tough time overcoming the better teams during the first half of the month. This gives them an overall record of 3-3-1 across the first half, but for a team that faced adversity last November, the Blue and Gold will be better equipped to handle it this season.
That said, the record might be mediocre at the moment in this projection, but there are still a lot of games to go. Will the Buffalo Sabres improve for the second half of the month? That will be the basis for our next batch of predictions. Thanks for reading my take, and if you haven’t yet checked it out, take a look at Zach’s take.
- Record in the first half of November: 3-3-1
- Overall Record: 7-7-1 (15 points)