The Buffalo Sabres have struggled lately during the second half of their back-to-backs as the 2023 calendar year comes to a close.
If you thought the Buffalo Sabres 2023-24 season couldn’t get any stranger, think again. Initially, the second half of a back-to-back looked like they would be one of the stronger suits for the Blue and Gold, as they won their first of the season on October 24th in a 6-4 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Their second back-to-back occurred on November 4th after an embarrassing 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers the night before. In what was Ryan Johnson’s debut, the Sabres went into Toronto and beat the Maple Leafs 6-4. Since the fourth, the Sabres have struggled when playing contests two days in a row, dropping to 0-4-0 on the second night of a back-to-back.
Buffalo Sabres have been horrible during the latter portion of back-to-backs
Want a mind-boggling statistic? Following tonight’s loss to the Arizona Coyotes, the Blue and Gold have now been shut out twice this season during the latter half of a back-to-back, with the first instance coming against the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 11th.
From November 11th onward, opponents have outscored the Sabres 15-3 during the second half, so this has become a serious problem for a team that once again has reminded us they have a plethora of issues. If there is any good news, it’s that the Buffalo Sabres haven’t looked terrible on the second night of their most recent back-to-backs, having allowed no more than two goals in either tonight’s game, or during their loss on December 3rd vs. the Nashville Predators.
But they also scored just one measly goal in those latter two games combined, so we all know where the problem lies: Offense. The Sabres will get another crack at a back-to-back on December 30th vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets and on New Year’s Eve against the Ottawa Senators. We can only hope there will be a better result than what we have seen lately.
(Information provided by Hockey-Reference)