Entering March, the Buffalo Sabres are riding a three-game win streak after a dominant road win over the Tampa Bay Lightning by a final score of 6-2. They find themselves currently in second in the Atlantic Division and close to the division lead (only four points behind the Lightning) than the second wild-card spot (currently five points ahead of the Boston Bruins).
While they are in the best spot in the standings at this point in the season in 15 years, March is going to be a crucial month. They have a number of games against teams that are in the same position as them in terms of fighting for playoff spots.
When looking at the schedule, these are the five games that fans need to circle on their calendar and not miss.
Buffalo Sabres at Pittsburgh Penguins (March 5th)
On Saturday, the Sabres were able to put a frustrating loss behind them against the Tampa Bay Lightning right before the Olympic break. They are going to have another opportunity later this week to do the same in their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the beginning of February.
It was the final game before the extended break and the Penguins outplayed the Sabres almost from start to finish as they would win 5-2. The Penguins have been one of the big surprise teams this season and not many expected them to compete for a playoff spot but they are currently second in the Metro Division.
The Penguins won't have Sidney Crosby for this game, as he is recovering from his injury suffered in the Olympics, but they can't take them lightly. This should be a playoff-atmosphere type game and the Sabres have a chance to put a tough loss behind them.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (March 8th)
The Buffalo Sabres had two road games against the Lightning in February and the postive was that they took three of four points from Tampa Bay. However, it easily could have been four points if they didn't have the late game collapse in their first meeting.
After the 6-2 loss on Saturday, the Lightning are going to come out fast in this meeting and try to get some revenge from this loss. The Sabres have shown they can play with some of the best in the league, like they did on Saturday, and hopefully will be prepared for it.
However, this is a game that the fans should be fired up for and will also have that playoff type feel. This could be the best home game of the entire month for the Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins (March 25th)
The final week of March might be the most important stretch of games for the Buffalo Sabres as they play three games in a four-game stretch against teams currently in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. These games could be critical to seeding, and it starts on March 25th against the Boston Bruins.
This will be the fourth and final meeting between these two teams, and the Sabres won two of the first three meetings. However, their last game against each other was on December 27th, and plenty has changed since then.
Over the last 19 games, the Bruins have gone 13-3-3, which has helped them get right back into the playoff picture.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Detroit Red Wings (March 27th)
Two days later, the Buffalo Sabres play the Detroit Red Wings and similarly to Boston these two teams haven't played in a while. In fact, their last meeting was all the way back on November 15th when the Sabres won 5-4 in overtime.
The Red Wings, Sabres, and Canadiens are all fighting for position behind the Lightning in the Atlantic Division, with only two points separating these three teams. This will be another highly competitive game, and depending on how the rest of March plays out could carry even more importance going into the final month of the regular season.
Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Islanders (March 31st)
Right now, the two teams are not necessarily competing for playoff seeding directly, as the Islanders are third in the Metro Division. However, it isn't out of the question by the end of the month that these two teams might be fighting for one of the two wild-card spots.
The Islanders have been another surprise team this season due to rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer. The first overall pick this past summer has already had 18 goals and 41 points through 60 games.
March is shaping up to be a busy month for the Buffalo Sabres and these five games could shape what the outlook is for the team going into the final weeks of the regular season and hopefully playoff discussions.