It's time for a brand new series! For the next week, I will give you one win from each month of the Buffalo Sabres 2023/2024 season and tell you why it was my favorite win from that month. Up first, the month of October. The best win from October 2023 was against the Colorado Avalanche.
Buffalo had a Sunday matinee against one of the best teams in the NHL. Following a tough loss against the New Jersey Devils two nights before, it didn't get any easier for the Sabres, as they were welcoming an elite team in the Avalanche.
The last thing I expected was a shutout from Buffalo. Well, that's exactly what happened. It was all Sabres as they beat Colorado 4-0 in what would be the first NHL shutout for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Not only did he play phenomenal in the victory, but he got some scoring help thanks to JJ Peterka, Casey Mittelstadt, Tyson Jost and Rasmus Dahlin.
In what turned out to be a fantastic year for Luukkonen, this was the first of his five shutouts he registered this season. Buffalo was incredibly inconsistent this year, and this game was an upside. Aside from Luukkonen, it was just great to see Buffalo play well and win against one of the best teams in the NHL, especially shutting them out.
Colorado got the better of Buffalo later on in the season, but seeing how they played overall was good and that's why this game was my favorite victory in October 2023. If Mittelstadt is on the Avalanche next season, it will be his first game back in Buffalo since getting traded.
The Sabres were 4-5-0 heading into November after the Colorado victory and while it didn't happen; I was hoping the victory would've given them a boost in turning the season around.