Streaky Sabres Narrowing Gap In Playoff Race

The Buffalo Sabres recent hot streak has made their dreams of ending their 12-year postseason drought a reality, as the club is within striking distance of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot after a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

Former Blues first-rounder Tage Thompson scored his club-leading 33rd goal of the season and added a pair of assists, as the Sabres held on after jumping out to a 4-0 lead to win their fourth win in a row.

“I thought it was really (a) close (game). Sabres head coach Don Granato said after the victory. “The atmosphere got going and you’ve got to win games and find ways to win games regardless. You’ve got to be able to handle adverse situations. I thought our guys through the end battled extremely well, even down a man, down two men with the goalie pulled. We looked confident, we stayed aggressive and I’m very happy with those things.”

As typical of a young squad learning how to win, Buffalo has been streaky all season, losing eight games in a row in November, bouncing back with six straight victories in late December, losing four January home games before their recent hot streak, winning games over the NY Islanders and Dallas Stars in overtime on goals by Dylan Cozens and Owen Power.

The Sabres are winning games mostly on the power of their offense. Buffalo has 180 goals in 47 games (2^nd in the NHL – 3.82 goals per game), with Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jeff Skinner, and Victor Olofsson all over 20 goals, and Rasmus Dahlin second only to Erik Karlsson in defensive scoring, but the key to them remaining a serious playoff contender could be their ability to keep the puck out of their own net, as they have allowed 160 goals against (23^rd in the NHL).

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With one week remaining until the All-Star break, the Sabres are 9^th in the conference, three points in back of Pittsburgh and Washington, with three games in hand on the Capitals. If they remain this close after the break as the March 3^rd trade deadline approaches, GM Kevyn Adams may have a lot of options, as Buffalo has the most available cap space ($18.2 million per Cap Friendly) in the league.

The question is whether Adams will expend a few future assets (Buffalo has three second-round picks in the 2023 Draft) or dip into their deep pool of prospects to make a run and give some of his young players a better chance of making the playoffs.