Sabres’ Modest Win Streak Shouldn’t Fool You – The Pressure Is Still On Buffalo To Be A Playoff Team

After a weekend in which they defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 in overtime, the Buffalo Sabres squared off against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. And the Sabres took it to the high-octane Edmonton Oilers, beating them 5-1. The Sabres are still one of the worst teams in the NHL, so Buffalo fans shouldn’t get overly excited.

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To wit: the Sabres got a dynamic performance Monday from young goaltender Colten Ellis, who stopped 32 Oilers shots to post a .970 save percentage in the game and improve his SP to .913 on the season. And rookie center Noah Ostlund scored twice against Edmonton.

These are the type of young player performances teams need if they’re going to contend for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. The Sabres can’t put all their playoff aspirations on the shoulders of one player – let’s say that player is Tage Thompson or Rasmus Dahlin – and expect that player to singlehandedly carry the team across the finish line.

You really do need your whole team to contribute, or you’ll be lacking the depth required for a deep Stanley Cup playoff run. So the Sabres have to be in all-hands-on-deck, night-in and night-out mode, to even have a hope of leapfrogging other Atlantic Division teams and improving their 7-8-4 record.

Wobbly Sabres Must Rebound Soon, Or Face The Fallout As the worst team in the Eastern Conference, the Sabres are struggling offensively and defensively. A rebound is desperately needed for them to avoid massive change.

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The Sabres now have games against the Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks, games they absolutely should win. Because after that, Buffalo’s schedule gets significantly more difficult: the Sabres will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild as well as the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets. No team is going to lay down and give two standings points to the Sabres. They’re going to have to show terrific resilience throughout the season, and defy expectations that now hover over the team like a black cloud.

Buffalo has cratered out of the gate, but there’s still time for them to rebound and get back in the playoff picture. But time is of the essence here, meaning that Sabres GM Kevyn Adams needs to be active on the trade market. And Adams should be on the hunt to add experience and proven leadership to steer this Buffalo team into the post-season.

Sabres’ Win Ends Long Losing Streak, But Bigger Picture Is Still Gnarly For Buffalo The Buffalo Sabres got back in the win column with a victory over Detroit Saturday. But scratch the surface, and you’ll see the Sabres aren’t nearly out of the woods — nor are they a playoff team.

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The Sabres are aiming to end a 14-year playoff drought, but their poor start this year has hampered their post-season aspirations. Buffalo doesn’t have time to waste – they need to string together five-game and six-game win streaks of their own. They can’t be bailing out opponents by faltering in areas within their control.

When it comes to delivering wins, the Sabres have to be far better. And if they can’t, there will be catastrophic consequences.