In many ways, today’s rematch against the Seattle Kraken has all the makings of a perfect storm. Of the many teams Buffalo lost to in the worst ways out there, that game against the Kraken ranks near the top.
And yeah, I know that they’ve blown larger leads this season, but what jumps out more than anything else regarding the Kraken was that the Sabres showed us just how capable they were of playing sound hockey until they, once again, resembled an AHL team for the game’s final 40 minutes.
So, if there’s a good way to exorcise these demons of blowing leads time and again, it needs to come today against Seattle. And no, it won’t be easy, with Ryan McLeod heading to injured reserve while the Sabres are also looking to put that pitiful performance vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins into the rearview mirror.
Further, the Kraken are much better at home, boasting a 10-10-3 record in front of their fans, and they’re coming off a convincing win over the Los Angeles Kings. All of this works against the Sabres favor, so expect some adversity here later on.
Sabres have a lot working against them and it’s a great opportunity
You can insert any team into the equation right now, and chances are, fate will be working against the Sabres. But when situations like these arise, it’s an opportunity, not a curse. It allows a lowly team like the Sabres to prove they’re a better group than everyone’s making them out to be.
But the Kraken provides them with a special opportunity since the Sabres have already outplayed them once, even if it was for one period the previous Saturday. It’s similar to the opportunity they had against the Avalanche, which they couldn’t take advantage of.
This leads me to Goal No. 1 that the Sabres should have today: If they get a lead, they need to find a way to protect that lead. Don’t even remotely allow the Kraken back in this thing if they go up by a couple of scores.
Or, the Sabres will fall behind, giving them an opportunity they couldn’t take advantage of in that debacle vs. the Penguins. Don’t incentivize fans watching you fall behind again to turn the channel and start tuning into the pregame of the National Championship. Instead, make this one interesting and find a way to claw your way back into it.
There’s a chance the Sabres would achieve both goals if they fell behind early, then saw themselves up by a substantial margin. But if they achieved one of them today in what is a winnable game, fans everywhere will be happy.