Sabres, Amerks can avenge their season-opening losses tonight
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans are back in action tonight, looking to avenge their respective losses from Thursday and Friday.
The Sabres had a tough time getting anything going two nights ago when the New York Rangers caught them off guard with what was basically the same look on defense throughout the ill-fated contest. The New York Islanders will give the Sabres a similar style, so this time, the Blue and Gold better be ready if they plan on snagging their first W of the year.
It took the Amerks just over five minutes to send their fans home dejected after they blew the lead late. Rochester started the game with a pedestrian first period, before they rallied and scored a trio of unanswered goals that the organization’s top prospects fueled. But it didn’t last, as the Bridgeport Islanders scored on a power play with just over four minutes left before they iced the game in overtime.
Both teams should be entering their respective opponents’ arenas tonight buzzing like a bunch of angry hornets, albeit for opposite reasons. The Sabres need to show us all that they can score on any system they face and that they’re the same high-octane team they’ve been for a while now. As for Rochester, they just need to prove they can hold a lead late.
Sabres, Amerks are looking for better outings this evening
If there is anything encouraging about the 2023-24 Sabres that we can take away from their first game, it’s that they seem to be way more physical than they were last season. That’s something we need to take with less than a grain of salt after one measly regular season game, but it’s also an edge they can use against a team like the Islanders.
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As for the Amerks, there are no excuses with this star-studded lineup whose best players would probably be playing in the NHL if they were part of organizations like the Montreal Canadiens or the San Jose Sharks, just to throw a pair of teams out there. We won’t need to wait long to see if Rochester has it in them, as the puck drops at 4 p.m. The Sabres faceoff with the Isles a few hours after at 7:30.