While you all know how down I am about the Buffalo Sabres, and I’m sure many of you share my sentiment, the truth is, one hot month is all it would take to turn this team around. Thinking back to last season, we need to remember that one team, the New York Islanders, were basically down and out until the end of March before a red-hot 8-0-1 April 2024 proved otherwise.
No, the Isles didn’t last in the 2024 NHL Playoffs after the Carolina Hurricanes all but made quick work of them. But would Sabres fans really care if their team made the postseason, lost four games to zero, and headed into the 2025 offseason full of optimism?
Hey, I wouldn’t complain. The Blue and Gold haven’t snagged a playoff berth since my college days, so it’s been a while. Think back to where you were in 2011, and it should give you an idea of just how much time has passed and this world has changed since.
When I say ‘hot month,’ it doesn’t need to be an entire calendar month. Instead, if the Sabres started getting back on track now, on January 9th, 2025, and won all but a game or two from now until the Four Nations Faceoff, there’s gonna be a lot of hope for this franchise once play resumes.
Buffalo Sabres could turn their season around with one hot month
When I wrote about the Sabres January schedule, I didn’t like what I saw regarding the first few games of the month, and they did nothing to ease my doubts. But that January schedule looks a little easier now, starting with tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
And with a 4-2-1 record since that long, exhausting 13-game losing streak, the Blue and Gold can really build some momentum with a convincing win after they beat a Washington Capitals team that, on paper, they had no business competing against.
Could you think of a better way to kickstart or provide a spark for a potential playoff berth than upending one of the NHL’s most dangerous teams while on the comeback trail? Even if the Sabres drop this game against Ottawa, it doesn’t mean we don’t need to get pessimistic.
And yeah, you can call me out on that because, as implied earlier, I’ve been more bearish on this team in recent weeks. Haven’t we all? Still, recent seasons have told us that a team can go from ‘down and out’ to a playoff contender, and, ultimately, sneak into that elusive postseason. Maybe the Sabres will be that team once we dive into April 2025.