The Buffalo Sabres have been rising through the standings as they consistently win. But can they assert dominance against a desperate Atlantic Division rival?
Alex Lyn (left); Auston Matthews (right) -- (Timothy T. Ludwig USA TODAY Images)After their 10-game win streak ended on New Year’s Eve, the Buffalo Sabres could’ve gone in one of two directions – either down the standings by going on a losing streak, or by pushing further up the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division standings and moving into a top-three spot in the division.
To the utter elation of Sabres fans, Buffalo has risen to third place in the Atlantic with a 29-17-5 record. And since that 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets ended their 10-game win streak, the Sabres have gone 8-2-1. It’s now clear that initial surge was no fluke, and that Buffalo is a legitimate Stanley Cup playoff contender.
But that sustained excellence still needs to be sustained the rest of the way this year. And that’s why Buffalo’s next game – against the Toronto Maple Leafs, on Tuesday night in Toronto – feels like a must-win.
For one thing, the Sabres need to win this game to send a message to the sputtering Leafs, who trail them by six points. You want to snuff out any possibility of a resurgence by Toronto, and the way you do that is by beating the Leafs on Tuesday.
Secondly, the NHL’s Olympic break is fast-approaching, and you want to do that on a winning note. And given the fact that the Sabres have six games before the break – with tilts against Toronto, the Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins – Buffalo needs every two points it can earn.
Thus, the Sabres can’t take their foot off the gas. If they are going to end their playoff drought at 14 years, Buffalo has to assert themselves in the coming days, weeks and months. And beating a longtime rival in the Leafs would send a message to Toronto and the rest of the NHL.
That message: “We didn’t get where we are this season by a fluke. We’re good because we’re good.” And losing to Toronto, which has been absolutely terrible in recent days, would send another message – “We can’t be relied on to put our foot on the necks of our opponents”.
The Leafs game will be a great metric of where the Sabres are. Toronto is desperate for a win, and if Buffalo beats them, it’ll be another nail in the Leafs’ coffin.
That would send Sabres fans over the moon with glee. But it’s up to Buffalo whether they pounce on a weak opponent. The Sabres have to be the alpha-dog, and that process has to be continuing against a wobbly Leafs team.