Buffalo’s longshot playoff chances were diminished by a loss to the Red Wings
Buffalo’s longshot playoff chances were diminished by a loss to the Red Wings
The Buffalo Sabres 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings was thought to be a near-fatal blow to the Blue and Gold’s longshot playoff chances, but the struggles of their Eastern Conference competition this weekend have kept them within striking distance.
The Red Wings ended their seven-game losing skid with a win over Buffalo on Saturday but they once again returned to the den of defeat on Sunday with a 6-3 loss to the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
After being shut out by the Sabres on Thursday, the New York Islanders were able to salvage a point on Saturday with a Bo Horvat power-play goal late in regulation against Ottawa before losing 4-3 in overtime on a goal by Brady Tkachuk. On Sunday, they took on the division rival Rangers and lost their fourth in a row 5-2 at MSG.
The pesky Washington Capitals continue to defy the odds by staying in the race in spite of a dreadful -30 goal differential with a 2-1 win in Vancouver on Saturday. The Pittsburgh Penguins lost 7-4 to the Rangers on Saturday in the first of a two-game weekend back-to-back at home, but bounced back with Sunday’s win over Detroit, while the New Jersey Devils lost two straight on the road to the Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights.
Buffalo has little room for error after the weekend loss, trailing Detroit by five points, both Washington and the Islanders by four, tied with Pittsburgh (the Penguins have a game in hand), and one point ahead of the Devils, but the failure of everyone except the Capitals to string wins together have kept the Sabres alive, as they begin their four-game Western road swing in Seattle on Monday.
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