Breaking down the Buffalo Sabres Week 2 opponents for 2023-24
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres have three opponents lined up this week in the Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames, and the New York Islanders.
Can the Buffalo Sabres enjoy a redemption week when the puck drops tomorrow night vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning? While the Blue and Gold didn’t win the other night, they played well enough to at least foreshadow that their high-profile forwards are raring to go on a frenzy at some point.
No, the Tage Thompson line didn’t look good in either game, but they at least started showing flashes of their playmaking ability, highlighted by Tage’s four shots on goal against the New York Islanders. We also know that the Mittelstadt line could have something brewing, as they accounted for both goals in Saturday’s loss.
It showed that the game was a winnable one for the Sabres, and luckily, they don’t need to wait long for a rematch. But before they bust out the Goatheads this coming Saturday, they first need to focus on the Lightning, and on the Calgary Flames.
Previewing the Buffalo Sabres 2023-24 opponents for Week 2
1 – Tampa Bay Lightning
The Buffalo Sabres had a tough time getting anything going vs. the New York Rangers and at the Islanders, and that was in large part to two things:
- The defensive schemes – though the Sabres looked noticeably better in the latter outing, and
- The goaltending – It’s no secret that Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin are top-tier goaltenders, and they made life difficult for the Blue and Gold.
However, Tampa’s backup goaltenders to Andrei Vasilevskiy haven’t fared incredibly well over their past two games. And they are both averaging under 0.900 in the save percentage realm, with their respective GAAs sitting at over 4.00.
But the Lightning can still score, with Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, and Steven Stamkos snagging four or more points. However, Stamkos may or may not be able to roll tomorrow night, so we will keep tabs on his status. Regardless if Stamkos can go, the Sabres must know where at least Hedman and Kucherov are at all times.