Breaking down the Buffalo Sabres Week 2 opponents for 2023-24
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.
2 – Calgary Flames
So far, the Flames are a mystery, having won a game by multiple goals, before they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday by three. The fact that Calgary lost on the road should be encouraging to the Buffalo Sabres, as they will be welcoming the Flames into KeyBank Center.
Throughout two games (three after Calgary faces the Washington Capitals tonight), the Flames have scored twice on the power play out of six attempts, so they may act as a good test for the Sabres PK unit. Their penalty kill is also shining at 100 percent, but again, these numbers may change after tonight’s contest. Either way, it shows us that Calgary could have a couple of good special teams units brewing.
The Flames have also done a good job with getting shots off, boasting a 52.2 percent Corsi For at 5-on-5 with 93 shots, blocks, and misses. Meanwhile, their Corsi Against in that same category sits at 85, indicating that the Sabres could have their work cut out for them, but we will gain a better insight following the Flames game tonight.
Update: Following their contest against Washington, the Flames PK remains at 100 percent, while their Corsi Against sits at 124, or 41.3 per game. Their Corsi For is now 145, or 48.3 per.
3 – New York Islanders
We know how good the Islanders are defensively, thanks to the Buffalo Sabres putting up just two goals against them on Long Island. Unfortunately, this past Saturday’s game is the only sample we have so far on the Isles, but they will play the Arizona Coyotes tomorrow and the New Jersey Devils on the 20th, which will give us more insights on how they compare to the rest of the league.
However, since the Blue and Gold have some experience facing them, they know what to expect and who to key on. Brock Nelson gave them trouble on Saturday night, scoring a goal and snagging a helper on another score. Casey Cizikas crushed them on the faceoff dot, winning nine of 11 attempts, while Bo Horvat enjoyed a 57.7 percent faceoff win percentage.
Related Story. Atlantic Division Power Rankings First Edition: Sabres plummeting?. light
Come Saturday, we’ll have greater insights on what to expect from the Islanders, and we’ll write a follow-up game preview post on how they are faring in 5-on-5 analytics vs. the rest of the league in the early going. Until then, we can bank on the fact that the Sabres know what they’re up against.
(Statistics and analytics provided by Hockey-Reference)