The Buffalo Sabres have a tough week ahead with facing three teams with above .500 records. It will also be a week where two of their three games played will be against teams in the Atlantic Division.
The Sabres will take on the New York Islanders at home in a New Years Eve tilt beginning at 6 p.m. They won't play again until Thursday night when they face take on divisional rivals, Florida Panthers at home. The Sabres will end the week with a trip to Boston to face the Bruins in what could be a revenge game.
Monday, Dec. 31 vs. Islanders- 6 p.m.
The Sabres have lost two straight games and are looking to bounce-back from a tough overtime loss to the Bruins on Dec. 29. The Islanders are looking to extend their winning streak to four straight games. The Isles have been a surprise team after losing John Tavares in free agency, but Barry Trotz has done a decent job as the boss bench.
The Sabres need to be aware of the speed that the Islanders can play with especially in transition so the turnovers should be limited. If the Sabres can get a lead then they need to keep attacking and not sit back because the Isles have nine wins when the opposition scores first. The Islanders play a strong even strength game and have outscored the opposition by 18 goals while playing at five-on-five so the Sabres need to play smart and make good plays while at even strength. The key to this game is going to be if the Sabres can take advantage of their power play opportunities since the Isles are ranked 23rd in the League on the kill.
Thursday, Jan. 3 vs. Panthers- 7 p.m.
The Florida Panthers have not gotten off to a good start to the season and the goaltending is at the center of that poor start. Lunogo has missed some time and Reimer's numbers have not been good. Despite the Panthers poor start, the Sabres are 0-1-1 against them this season.
The Panthers scoring has mostly come from the top line so far this season, so if the Sabres can manage to shut them down then they should be able to grab two points. The Sabres need to establish a forecheck and cycle game early and often to keep the speed of the Panthers at bay. They will need to play a full 60 minute game and not take any shifts off because Florida will make them pay if they do. The goaltending is going to be key for both teams, but the Sabres need to get pucks on net with screens and deflections in front.
Saturday, Jan. 5 @ Bruins- 7 p.m.- ESPN+
The Sabres will be looking to avenge the overtime loss suffered on Dec. 29 at the hands of the Bruins when the two meet again. It should be a good game since this will be the second time in seven days that the teams will play each other.
The Sabres will want to make sure that they have the lead entering the final period of play since the Bruins only have one regulation win when trailing after two periods. The Sabres should be able to get off to a fast start since the Bruins have only scored 28 goals in the first period of games this season. Buffalo needs to keep an eye on David Pastrnak since he has found the back of the net 23 times so far this year. The key to the game is going to be the goaltending since both teams can use their speed to create chances.
Sabres Slashes Weekly Prediction
The Sabres will finish the week with a 1-0-2 record and grab four of a possible six points. They'll win tonight in regulation over the Islanders since they are playing on home ice. The Panthers will take the extra point in a shootout. The Bruins and Sabres will have another entertaining game, but the Sabres will lose again in overtime.
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