Looking at the current record of the Buffalo Sabres, it's not pretty. At the moment, the Sabres are 23-26-4 with 50 points. As for the playoff race, they are 10 points out of the second wild-card spot. Detroit holds the final ticket at the moment with 60 points. Even though it's going to be an uphill battle, they still have a shot to get themselves back in the race.
I know it might sound impossible considering where they are, but it's possible. How can they get themselves back into contention? Just look at their schedule. In a four-game span which includes tonight against the Minnesota Wild, the Sabres have some winnable games coming up. The Wild are the only team who have a winning record that Buffalo will be facing in this four-game stretch.
If the Sabres can find a way to beat Minnesota, they will host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday afternoon. I'm aware Buffalo lost to this team at the end of January, but it's Anaheim's turn to fly cross-country. It will be an interesting start time as it will be a 12:30 puck drop on President's Day. If you're Buffalo, you can't get swept by the Ducks. Anaheim is a hardworking team, but you need to take care of business if you're the Sabres.
Buffalo will hit the road for the final two games of the week. First, a meeting with the Canadiens in Montreal. It's strange because there's a trend. Recently, it seems like the road team always wins during the last few matchups. The last time the Sabres visited Montreal, they won 6-1. For some reason, Buffalo seems to play better against the Habs on the road. Once again, this is a game the Sabres can win.
Last but not least, the final game will be against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Buffalo tends to play down to their opponents, but they did beat the Jackets last time they squared off. Columbus is having a transition season, this is the perfect game for Buffalo to get two points, as are the other three games.
I know it's asking a lot, but this is the stretch of games where the Sabres can get themselves back in the playoff race. Even if you lose tonight against Minnesota, the rest of the teams are in the bottom 10 of the NHL. Yes, the Sabres are as well but still. As crazy as it sounds, these next four games could get Buffalo back in the race as long as they can take care of business.
The Sabres offense has hit a dry spell other than the Los Angeles Kings game, but if they can find their game during the next four matchups, it could easily get Buffalo back into the thick of things.