3 ways the Buffalo Sabres can bounce back against Vegas

The Buffalo Sabres could not ride their recent momentum into Colorado, but perhaps they can rediscover themselves against Vegas.

For a few games, it looked as though the Buffalo Sabres discovered an identity that works for them in 2023-24, evidenced by a three-game points streak and outscoring their respective opponents 13-7 since the third period in their loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Then they skated into Denver and lost 5-1 because they once again tried to play a style that hasn’t worked for them this season.

Now, the Sabres must remedy the issue for the final two games of their Western Conference road trip. There are three ways they can do that when they skate into and take on the Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow evening.

How the Buffalo Sabres can regain their lost momentum

1 – Revert to keeping things simple offensively

During the third period of their 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the Sabres finally started playing a simple game and it resulted in three goals. While there was little-to-no chance of the Blue and Gold winning that one, they at least laid a blueprint on how to approach their next three contests.

That resulted in a three-game points streak, and hope for a fan base forced to witness what may be the NHL’s most inconsistent hockey team for a significant portion of the season. Inconsistency showed up once again last night, and it’s because Buffalo refused to play a simple game early, and it set the tone for all three frames.

2 – Show a greater sense of urgency

While the Sabres scored toward the end of the first period thanks to Zach Benson drilling one in off of a rebound and the returning Alex Tuch scored on a subsequent power play, they lacked urgency. Head coach Don Granato even pointed to that lack of urgency following the contest, stating:

“There were just a couple moments of urgency. That was it. Nothing to be happy about, that’s for certain. The start was … we didn’t work hard enough, period.”

Source: Observations: Another ‘maddening’ slow start dooms Sabres in 5-1 loss to Avs by Lance Lysowski, Buffalo News

When they show urgency, the Buffalo Sabres tend to win, but when they believe they can pull their way back into a game by trying what worked for them last season, they’re not going to come back and win. Against Vegas, the Sabres need to be attacking the puck, and the net, from the opening faceoff.

3 – Play a better opening period

The Sabres should know 30 games into the season that they are a bad hockey team when allowing their opponent to score first. When they give up a goal first, they are 3-13-2, whereas when they score first, the Sabres are 9-2-1.

Nothing should be more important to the Blue and Gold than the opening period, and perhaps more importantly, holding that early lead into the second period. Of their 12 wins this season, 11 of them came when they were either tied or held the lead heading into their final two frames.

(Other information provided by Hockey-Reference)