The Buffalo Sabres announced the 84-game schedule for this upcoming season this past week. They now know what their path looks like to getting back to the playoffs after breaking the drought last season.
There are plenty of games on the schedule that fans will be interested in this season, with the obvious ones like Jack Eichel returning to Buffalo with the Vegas Golden Knights (November 8th) or the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes making their first trip to Western New York on January 9th.
However, these are the four games that fans should be particularly interested in and have circled on their calendar for this upcoming season.
October 12 vs. Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers had a disastrous season last year with several injuries to key players and missing the playoffs after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups. They are expected to bounce back in a big way and should return to being a Stanley Cup contender this season.
One of their big moves was the trade for Brady Tkachuk that reunited him with his brother Matthew. It should help their forwards, but they are also getting key players back from injuries like Aleksander Barkov that might have just as much impact.
This will be a good test for the Buffalo Sabres early in the season to show that last season was not a fluke and they are legitimate playoff contenders.
February 27th vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
The next game on this list is at the end of February when the Toronto Maple Leafs come to Buffalo for the first time this season. The Maple Leafs are another team that wants to put last season behind them, and they expect to be much more competitive after a busy offseason.
By this point of the season, Auston Matthews should be back from his knee injury and not have any rust associated with that. On top of that, new additions like Darren Raddysh, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Jack Roslovic are comfortable with their new team.
However, the headline for this game might be the return of Gavin McKenna to Buffalo as a member of the Maple Leafs. He was drafted first overall in June's NHL Draft that was held in Buffalo and he will now get the chance to experience playing in Buffalo as a member of the visiting team.
March 18th vs. Washington Capitals
This will be the third meeting between the two teams this season, but the first time that Washington is traveling to Buffalo. There are a few notable storylines for this game, as it is the first game Alex Tuch is playing as a visitor after the sign-and-trade, while also potentially being the final game Alex Ovechkin plays in Western New York.
The Capitals were very aggressive this offseason after not only adding Tuch but also trading for Jordan Kyrou. They have put themselves in a great position to give Ovechkin one more chance at a Stanley Cup.
It might be Alex Tuch's first game in Buffalo as a member of the Capitals (and possibly Ovechkin's last), but at this point of the season, the playoffs are going to be a big topic. These are two teams that are expected to be competing for playoff spots, and this could have serious playoff implications.
April 5th vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Buffalo Sabres end their regular season with three straight home games but the one that stands out the most in this final homestand is on April 5th against the Tampa Bay Lightning. These two teams had the game of the year last season when the Sabres came from behind to win 8-7.
From that point, the Sabres and Lightning were trading spots in the division, competing for the Atlantic Division title. The Sabres eventually pulled ahead to win the division, and there is a good chance that once again these two teams could be in a similar situation at the end of next season.
If the Lightning and Sabres are close in the standings, these two teams have a great chance to put together another NHL masterpiece and a can't-miss game for the entire NHL.
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