The Buffalo Sabres could head into the new year with a winning record, but a familiar foe might have something to say about that!
When the 2016-17 NHL regular season opens, the Buffalo Sabres will be a work in progress. New faces, players returning from injury, and a handful of players with one last year to cement their spot on the roster will make life interesting for coach Dan Bylsma and his staff.
Not helping matters is the fact that October presents a stiff challenge to the Sabres right out of the gate. However, the month of November looks to be a little friendlier, so when the team rolls into December, there is a chance that could do so with a record that is close to .500. (My pick? The Sabres will have a record of 10-9-3 when November says its goodbyes.)
So what does December bring? A chance to head into a new year with a winning record? Not if the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals have anything to say about it!
December schedule
Thursday, December 1: New York Rangers vs. Sabres
Saturday, December 3: Boston Bruins vs. Sabres
Monday, December 5: Sabres vs. Washington Capitals
Tuesday, December 6: Edmonton Oilers vs. Sabres
Friday, December 9: Washington Capitals vs. Sabres
Tuesday, December 13: Los Angeles Kings vs. Sabres
Friday, December 16: New York Islanders vs. Sabres
Saturday, December 17: Sabres vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Tuesday, December 20: Sabres vs. Florida Panthers
Thursday, December 22: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Sabres
Friday, December 23: Sabres vs. New York Islanders
Tuesday, December 27: Sabres vs. Detroit Red Wings
Thursday, December 29: Boston Bruins vs. Sabres
Saturday, December 31: Sabres vs. Boston Bruins
Now that’s an interesting schedule right there: the Buffalo Sabres play 14 games in December, but only face 9 teams. The Sabres only play consecutive road games twice, but three times have to play back-to-backs.
And then there’s those three games against the Boston Bruins.
They say familiarity breeds contempt, and if that is the case, the Sabres and Bruins should be ready for some major time away from each other come January 1, 2017. Hopefully, three games in one month, plus consecutive games against one another to close out 2016, provides some interesting drama . . . and a few Sabres victories.
December also pits the Sabres against the Capitals, Hurricanes, and Islanders twice each, which means I am handing Buffalo two losses against the Caps right away. I like how the team matches up with Carolina, though, and the Islanders lost a good chunk of offense when they let Kyle Okposo walk across the state to play in the 716, so I can see the Sabres picking up a W in at least one of those games.
All in all, I feel pretty good about December, so . . .
Sabres record in December: 7-5-2
Any month in which the Buffalo Sabres can play .500 hockey and pick up over 15 points is a good month in my book right now. Let me know what you think of the Sabres’ December schedule in the comments below.
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