Buffalo Sabres: 3 burning questions for Week 3 in 2023-24

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Oct 21, 2023; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt (37) tries to get the puck past New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech (3) in the second period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

3 – Can the Sabres play consistent defense?

Defensively, the Buffalo Sabres went 2 for 3 last week, looking good in their overtime win vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning despite blowing a two-goal lead before they forgot to show vs. the Calgary Flames. However, they ended the week with an epic performance vs. the New York Islanders that nearly ended in a shutout.

The Sabres are playing a rebuilding team tonight vs. the Montreal Canadiens before they face a high-octane team in the Ottawa Senators. The New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche are also no slouches by any means when they have the puck, so the Blue and Gold will face their fair share of tests.

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If they can hold the fort down and play at least a respectable defensive game this week, then perhaps we can put the Blue and Gold in a discussion of being a team that plays well without the puck. And if Buffalo keeps stagnating with the puck, then they won’t have much of a choice if they want to win more games in October.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)

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