Atlantic Division Power Rankings Week 6: Sabres plummet amidst struggle
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres embarked on a three-game skid, and they are now plummeting in our latest edition of the Atlantic Division Power Rankings.
It seems like this happens every November recently: The Buffalo Sabres get a winning record, then at some point in the eleventh month of the year, they plummet. And that’s reflected in this week’s power rankings, as quite a few teams they overtook last week have gained some ground.
How far did the Sabres fall in Week 6? Well, let’s just say you won’t need to read too far to find out in this one.
Buffalo Sabres fall into the Atlantic Division’s cellar after a tough week
8 – Buffalo Sabres
Injuries, the inability to make things click on special teams, plus the fact they haven’t scored over three goals in quite some time made this one easy. If there is any good news, it’s that the Sabres FINALLY learned how to crash the net last night – it’s all about putting the puck there now.
7 – Montreal Canadiens
Montreal was ranked eighth last week, and they moved up to seventh mainly because the Sabres had played such poor hockey. We’ll see if the Habs get something going this week that will organically move them up.
6 – Detroit Red Wings
Since their hot start, the Red Wings have been one of the NHL’s most stagnant teams, and the Yzerplan isn’t working much better than the Adamsplan at the present moment. Detroit has 19 points, but you can attribute that to their play earlier in the season.
5 – Ottawa Senators
The Senators have won three straight and managed to climb into sixth place in the overall standings this week. If the Sens continue on this roll, it won’t be long until they’re contending for a top three spot in the Atlantic.
4 – Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa has been up and down this season, but they still have 18 points to show for it despite their issues on defense and at goaltender. Once this team gets healthy, they will show that they’re not finished as a unit just yet.
3 – Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs plummeted to sixth last week, given how poorly they had performed overall, but Toronto has since bounced back with three wins in a row. If they finally found some stability, then they just put the top two teams listed on notice…maybe….
2 – Florida Panthers
The Panthers needed to make some contingency plans to start the season, and the defending Eastern Conference Champions didn’t look fazed. Just wait until their returning players find their respective grooves again – they will be coming.
1 – Boston Bruins
I just did the math, and at this point, the Boston Bruins are on pace for 142 points this season. Seriously, we all learned our lessons to never count this team out. Even if they hypothetically entered a season with a pack of AHL-caliber players, let’s just not make that mistake again.
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Overall, the Buffalo Sabres are in last place both here and in the standings, BUT we’re just 17 games into the season, so take these with a grain of salt, if that. We’ll see if they turn things around when they square off with the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow for Game 2 of a three-game road trip.
(Standings provided by ESPN.com)