Monday night’s Game 7 loss to the Montreal Canadiens felt like a gut punch for Buffalo Sabres fans.
The Sabres had gotten so close to advancing to the Eastern Conference Final. They were down 2-0, clawed their way back, and then, poof! Everything was over in the blink of an eye.
This wasn’t a lopsided 6-3 loss. It was the sort of game that could have gone either way. Both teams had their chances in overtime, and it just happened to be the Canadiens who prevailed.
Unfortunately, that’s the harsh nature of this business.
That said, Sabres fans have plenty to be optimistic about. Buffalo’s window of contention is just opening. With the right moves, it could stay open for as long as a decade.
That assessment isn’t hyperbole. It doesn’t intend to offer consolation or a silver lining following such a tough loss. It’s an honest evaluation based on the Sabres’ emerging core. Buffalo has a core that could remain competitive for as long as a decade.
The evident leader of that core is captain Rasmus Dahlin. The 26-year-old is still very much a young captain and truly just now hitting the height of his prime. Dahlin earned a Norris Trophy nomination, validating everything we’ve been talking about him.
Dahlin is just the standard-bearer of that core. Tage Thompson, Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Jack Quinn, and Peyton Krebs all figure to be solid contributors up front. That group could certainly use Alex Tuch. If he returns, the group should be even deeper.
Then, there’s the blue line. Bowen Byram, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, and Zach Metsa all look like potential mainstays to varying degrees. If that blueline core remains intact, the Sabres would only need to figure out depth pieces to round it out.
The lone question mark remains in goal. While Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen didn’t run with the starting role this season doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t. Game 7 against Montreal was a fantastic outing by Luukkonen. Sadly, he reacted a split second too late to Alex Newhook’s shot. The shot beat him, and the season was over.
But anyone trying to pin the loss on Luukkonen is delusional. He played well enough to win. It was just that things didn’t work out as everyone had hoped.
That said, the Sabres will be looking for more consistency between the pipes. Whether that comes from Luukkonen or anyone else remains to be seen.
Buffalo Sabres fans have nothing to hang their heads about. The Sabres had a season for the ages. It was a long time coming. Best of all, it looks like it’s just the beginning of a prolonged window of contention, one that will hopefully bring a championship to upstate New York.
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