AIDAN POLLARD
Staff Writer
It’s been a long break.
The Sabres, after the past month, have remained in last place in the Atlantic Division, as well as the Eastern Conference. Once again, only the Coyotes trail the Sabres in overall points in the entire league. However, the Sabres seem to be on a bit of a hot streak this past week and are now within two points of surpassing the Senators in the division.
Possibly the most well-documented loss the Sabres have sustained over the last one and a half months is the Winter Classic game they played against the Rangers on New Year’s Day. The Sabres played the game outside in Citi Field in Queens, so naturally the Rangers, who play only one borough away in Manhattan, had the home field advantage.
Although, in an effort to maintain some level of fairness, the teams were on each end of the ice for an equal period of time so each team was with and against the wind an equal amount throughout the outdoor game.
The Sabres played an extremely strong game throughout and brought the Rangers into overtime. The Sabres suffered a penalty that left them a man down early in the extra time, and the Rangers promptly scored to end the game.
Some good can be taken from this game, though, as it showed the Sabres are actually capable of playing strong hockey and seem to be just as exhausted by constant failure as their fans.
Within this past week, though, the Sabres have started a three-game win streak against the Calgary Flames, the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks, with the latter two of these games being complete blowouts. These two shutout games may prove to bring crucial momentum to the Sabres as they go into the week facing the Devils in a game that will have already been decided by the time this article comes out.
The New Jersey Devils have had one of the strongest records in all of the NHL this season, especially in the first half of the season. It may prove extremely difficult for the Sabres to take down a team like the Devils, but the hot streak that Buffalo has just started may prove to be just enough to edge out New Jersey.
Following the Tuesday game against the Devils, the Sabres will be facing off against the Florida Panthers as well as the St. Louis Blues before the week’s end. Both of these teams have stronger records than the Sabres, and the Blues are well within playoff contention, so this week could be an extremely important one for the Sabres.
If Buffalo can maintain the momentum this week, there’s a chance, albeit a small one, that the Sabres can begin to salvage the season. All it takes is a strong spark to light the fire. The Sabres have strong players and a rabid fanbase, so the possibility of a strong season is still there, although it is fleeting.
The Buffalo Sabres will have finished their game against the Devils on Tuesday and go up against the Panthers and Blues on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.