The Buffalo Sabres have one focus this season, and that is to end their playoff drought of 14 seasons. It won't be easy, but they have made some improvements this offseason, and with a little luck, they could sneak in as a wild card.
One of the early tests is how they navigate the month of December, which has been a tough month for Buffalo the past few seasons, and the NHL did them no favors with the schedule they gave them for this season.
Last December, the Buffalo Sabres went 3-7-2 in December after entering the month with an 11-11-2 record. Their struggles actually started a few games before December, and they would end up losing 13 straight (three of them were overtime losses). They finished the month on a high note by winning three of the final four games, but after that losing streak, the season was realistically over.
The season prior to that was more of the same for the Sabres as they lost four straight from the end of November into December and ended the month going 2-4-1.
Buffalo Sabres are going to be hitting the road in December this season
After a home game against the Winnipeg Jets, the Sabres hit the road for a seven game road trip that includes three games in four nights against the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.
The return to Buffalo for two home games against the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders, before they are back on the road with four of their next five away from Buffalo. They have road games against New Jersey and Ottawa before returning home for a game against the Bruins and then it is right back on the road for games against St. Louis and Dallas.
How the Buffalo Sabres navigate this month of hockey will be very telling in terms of how realistic their playoff chances are this season. If they can come out of this month with a points percentage around .500, that will go a long way in keeping them in contention near the end of the season when seven of their final 10 games are at home.