During the offseason we looked at the Buffalo Sabres schedule and made some predictions. Are we still sticking with those, or wussing out?
Wow.
That’s really the only word I can think of to describe the manner in which the Buffalo Sabres closed out the month of October.
Even though I did not jump on the “Time to tank” and “Time to fire Dan Bylsma” bandwagons, I certainly was disheartened by the way the Sabres had played following their 6-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Late-game collapses and a lack of mental toughness should not be what defines a professional hockey team, and for a while it looked as if that is exactly the sort of team the Sabres were becoming . . .
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. . . and then this team manned up and took care of business this weekend, leading me to believe that there is a chance in hell that this team could stay afloat until Jack Eichel returns.
Professional sports: the agony and the ecstasy!
Now that the first month of the regular season is out of the way, it’s time to take a look at the Sabres’ schedule in Turkey month to see if this team can keep the ball rolling:
Tuesday, November 1: Sabres vs. Minnesota Wild
Thursday, November 3: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Sabres
Saturday, November 5: Sabres vs. Ottawa Senators
Monday, November 7: Sabres vs. Boston Bruins
Wednesday, November 9: Ottawa Senators vs. Sabres
Friday, November 11: New Jersey Devils vs. Sabres
Saturday, November 12: Sabres vs. New Jersey Devils
Tuesday, November 15: Sabres vs. St. Louis Blues
Thursday, November 17: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Sabres
Saturday, November 19: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Sabres
Monday, November 21: Calgary Flames vs. Sabres
Wednesday, November 23: Detroit Red Wings vs. Sabres
Friday, November 25: Sabres vs. Washington Capitals
Tuesday, November 29: Sabres vs. Ottawa Senators
This isn’t the first time I have previewed the Sabres’ schedule; back in August I even predicted that the Sabres would go 7-6-1 in November. Here are some of the reasons why I was so optimistic:
For what it’s worth, the November slate of games is a little more friendly to the Sabres in terms of travel. The Sabres don’t play more than two road games in a row during the month, and two out of the three times that the team plays back-to-backs, the Sabres will enjoy two full days in between contests.
Furthermore, the Sabres play at home seven times this month, including a nice little 4-game homestand. Nice . . . unless the Sabres protect home ice as well as they did last season, when the team was 16-19-6 in First Niagara Center. Let’s hope this squad gives the home crowd more reasons to celebrate.
Also working to Buffalo’s advantage is that many of their foes in November will be playing on the second night of back-to-back games. The Ottawa Senators will be coming into Buffalo on November 9 following a road game against the Nashville Predators on November 8. Later, the Pittsburgh Penguins visit Buffalo one night after they play the New York Islanders in Brooklyn (and the Pens have to play the Washington Capitals in DC on Wednesday the 16, as well). Last but not least, the Calgary Flames will be entering Buffalo on the heels of a Sunday evening match-up in Detroit. You have to think that the Sabres will be able to jump on a few of these tired foes and earn Ws.
Obviously, those facts are all still ture – the schedule has not changed, duh. However, I made my prediction of a 7-6-1 record in November based on the fact that I felt the Sabres would have spent October figuring out line combinations and chemistry, and would be clicking once the second month came around. What I could not foresee were injuries to Eichel and Evander Kane, so I’m not feeling quite as rosy as I was this summer.
Mind you, I’m not changing my prediction, because once you open Pandora’s box there’s no turning back. If I was a betting man, I would put money on the Buffalo Sabres falling short of my initial prediction, but stranger things have happened. I’m just happy that the team played well enough this weekend to make me believe there is a snowball’s chance of this prediction being close!
How do you think the Buffalo Sabres will fare in November? Sound off below!
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