New year, new coach, same sorry Buffalo Sabres?

Okay, that wasn’t what any Buffalo Sabres fan wanted to see - a start that looked a lot like what we saw last season when the New York Rangers crushed the Blue and Gold. This season, it was the revamped New Jersey Devils in what should have been a revenge game for head coach Lindy Ruff. 

Instead, the Devils took care of things early and never looked back, leaving the Sabres dumbfounded and guessing what could have gone differently. At the end of the near-three-hour game, it was the same old result for the same old Sabres - one goal to New Jersey’s four, and the sign of a long season ahead. 

Okay, that’s ultra hyperbole since there’s no reason whatsoever to throw in the towel after one measly game. Sure, the entire team looked awful. Such is always the case when they lose by three goals, but it’s just one game down, and 81 to go. 

Plus, unlike in years past, there’s a lot of new faces on this Sabres team. They have a new coach, a new system, and basically a new bottom six, so there’s no need to freak out when we still have about 27 days before the spookiest day of the year. 

Same, sorry Buffalo Sabres? Let’s sit back and take a breather

Listen, one game, especially one game taking place while the rest of the NHL is playing out their last preseason matchups, is ultra shortsighted to make a prediction on what the Sabres will look like one, two, or even three months from today. 

Plus, there were some positives, believe it or not, for this team to build on, and you only need to look at a few basic stats. The Sabres won the faceoff battle 57.6 to 42.4, and if they can keep that up, they’ll start capitalizing on taking possession of the puck early. 

They also landed 25 body checks, which shows early indications that this new system is far more physical than what they had while under Don Granato. We also need to add to the fact that the Sabres forced 22 giveaways and stole the puck an additional five times, so yes, we saw some positives here. 

Unfortunately, none of those stats matter at the end of the game, but numbers like those also show us that Buffalo is at least giving themselves chances. Now, it’s all about figuring out how to capitalize on them and how to shut down their opponents, and they’ll have that opportunity tomorrow.