Remember those unexpected positive vibes around the Buffalo Sabres, which stemmed from a string of hopeful projections from the analytics community ahead of the new season? Well, those are already gone following the team's 0-2-0 start to the 2025-26 campaign.
Daily Faceoff released its latest NHL power rankings on Monday, and the Sabres have already slid down to No. 30 out of the league's 32 teams. They're ahead of only the New York Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks to start the second week of the season.
"Haven't the people of Buffalo suffered enough?! One goal in two games?!" Daily Faceoff's Scott Maxwell wrote. "Their defense has been about as good as I expected it to be, even without Michael Kesselring, but the offense and penalty kill need to figure things out fast before it's already too late for the Sabres."
It's amazing the discussion is already shifting toward Buffalo being in trouble two contests into an 82-game schedule, but that's the power of a 14-year playoff drought. Hope is in short supply.
The Buffalo Sabres' placement in the latest NHL power rankings is a worrisome warning sign
It's not just outside sources bashing the Sabres for their performance in the first two games. Head coach Lindy Ruff provided a blunt assessment after Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins.
"We have to just raise our level of compete," Ruff told reporters. "I thought our compete was terrible. Worst competing, skating, moving feet that I've seen."
You can't really argument with those statements. The Sabres have been consistently outworked, show zero urgency in puck battles and stringing together even two passes has felt like a Herculean task.
For many teams, it'd be OK to shrug off a sluggish start to the campaign. That's not the case for Buffalo, which is showcasing many of the same weaknesses that led to their extended absence from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The power play has been an unmitigated disaster, the contributions from the bottom of the line are nonexistent and the coaching staff doesn't appear to have any immediate answers.
Making matters worse, the superstar tandem of Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson, who have usually provided some elite play amid the chaos, have struggled to make an impact to open the year.
Saying it's "just one game" after losses is no longer an acceptable excuse. The Sabres have to start turning things around quickly.
"The urgency has got to be there," veteran winger Jason Zucker said.
Is it still early in the season? Of course, but Buffalo entered the campaign with a razor-thin margin for error and it's already digging itself a hole in the Eastern Conference.
The Blue and Gold must play far more complete hockey this week to steady the ship and potentially start climbing back up the NHL power rankings.
Alas, the Sabres' schedule doesn't do them any favors. They face off with the Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators and two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers this week. The games are all at home, though.
If Buffalo's overall level of play doesn't improve, however, things could get ugly fast.