Buffalo Sabres: 3 bold predictions for Week 3 of the 2023-24 season

The Buffalo Sabres are commencing Week 3 of the 2023-24 season tonight. Here are three bold predictions for the upcoming week.

The Buffalo Sabres are 2-3-0, and they have a chance to get back to 0.500 tonight in the last game of their current homestand before they take a two-game road trip. Therefore, it’s time for our third edition of bold predictions in this still young 2023-24 season.

One of the Blue and Gold’s main forwards will get rolling this week, and so will the Sabres power play. Further, those strong defensive stands will continue. Why? Check out the reasoning below, and be ready for yet another exciting week of Sabres hockey as they seek to start things off with a bang tonight vs. the Montreal Canadiens.

3 bold predictions for the Buffalo Sabres in Week 3

1 – Alex Tuch gets going

None of us thought Alex Tuch would score just one assist and post a minus-3 rating in the first five games of the season, but even great players struggle through rough patches. And perhaps it’s all that’s going on with Tuch, so this week, he will find the net twice, and put the fanbase at ease. One reason it’s bold, yet realistic for Tuch to step up his game this week is because he’s once again on the Mittelstadt line with Jeff Skinner:

It was a strong line last season, and it looked great this past Saturday, with Mittelstadt and Skinner recording two points apiece. Now, it’s Alex Tuch’s turn to get involved.

2 – Power play gets going

One of the 3 burning questions for Week 3 asked whether this was the week for the power play. Well, the Sabres are facing weaker units, as the article linked above answered, so let’s get bold and say that it will.

Tage Thompson has the only power play goal this year, and he’ll pace the team with two more by the team Week 3 concludes. Overall, let’s give the Sabres an average of four power plays per game, or 16 on the week, if we’re reflecting this season’s numbers (19 in five games), and they’ll convert four of them.

3 – Sabres hold two opponents to two goals or less

This prediction may not be so bold, thanks to the fact the Buffalo Sabres have allowed two or fewer goals in both of their wins last week. But that trend will continue, despite the fact they have a high-scoring Ottawa Senators team coming up tomorrow, plus talented teams in New Jersey and Denver on the slate.

Still though, the Blue and Gold have seen some good defense in three out of their first five games, with it also showing up in their 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders in Week 1. They have quite the opportunity tonight vs. the Montreal Canadiens to enjoy a hot start to the week, especially if they show up like they did this past Saturday.

(Statistics and data provided by Hockey-Reference)