Sabres Slashes: Facing the Western Conference

The Buffalo Sabres have gotten off to a great start to the season. The team has yet to suffer a loss in regulation and is 4-0-1 on the season. The Sabres are playing the game the right way while using their speed to get in on the forecheck. The team has balanced scoring with all four line contributing in some way. The Sabres look to continue their good play as they take on four Western Conference teams this week.

The struggling Dallas Stars come to town today in a matinee game that see the puck drop at 3 p.m. On Wednesday night, the California trip begins for the Sabres as they take on the surprising Anaheim Ducks. On Thursday night, the Sabres take on the mediocre Los Angeles Kings. The west coast trip ends with a game against the San Jose Sharks, who need to get things together early in this season and the addition of Patrick Marleau may be the boost the team needs.

Monday, Oct. 14, 2019- Stars @ Sabres- 3 p.m.

The Dallas Stars are coming into Buffalo with a 1-4-1 record in six games, which isn't the ideal start for the team. The Stars are struggling in every facet of the game, and it has cost them in the standings. The team hasn't been able to put the puck in the net so they need to find a way to finish. Another way to get the offense done is to cap hit on some power play chances since the Sabres aren't very good at killing penalties. The team needs to avoid the penalty box since the Sabres are the best team in the early going at cashing in on their power play opportunities. 

The Sabres need to get the first goal of the game to keep the home crowd in the game, and get momentum early. The Stars are a mediocre team at killing penalties so cashing in on the power play will help the Sabres get some goals. The Sabres should try to use their speed especially on the entries to force the Stars defensemen to back into their zone. The Stars may be struggling but the Sabres can't get lazy or too comfortable if they have a lead. The Sabres want to have the lead entering the final period of play since they are 4-0-0 when they have the lead entering the third period.

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019 - Sabres @ Ducks- ESPN+

The Ducks have been a surprising team so far in the early going since most people expected them to struggle, but great goaltending has kept them in games. John Gibson has been spectacular in the four games that he has played. He is 3-1-0 with a 1.26 goals against average and .961 save percentage. Ryan Miller was good in his one game he has started in so far this year. The Ducks will need good goaltending when facing the Sabres, since they will get their chances and goals. The Ducks need to be physical and establish the forecheck early in the game to get some second chances. Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler are to dangerous players from the back end, who can move the puck and pick up points. The Sabres want to be aware of them when they are on the ice.

The Sabres should take care of the puck since the Ducks have the speed and players to make a team pay for their mistakes. The goaltending is going to be a key in this game for the Sabres so saves need to be made. The Sabres will need to get shots on net and make sure there is plenty of traffic in front for rebounds and deflections. The team need to match the speed of the Ducks, who have some young kids on the roster.

Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019 - Sabres @ Kings- 10:30 p.m.

The Kings have started out the season as most expected and that is up-and-down. They have a 2-2-0 record and the biggest problem has been the struggles of Jonathan Quick. Quick has not looked good in net all season, and he'll need to find a way to get it back. The Kings should avoid the penalty box because the Sabres will cash in on the man advantage. The team needs to avoid turnovers and limit mistakes to have a shot at winning the game. The goalie, whether Quick or Jack Campbell, needs to make the easy saves and not allow any soft goals. 

The Sabres need to get pucks on the net because of the Kings' goalie struggles. The Sabres should pressure the puck carrier to force some turnovers and get even more chances. The team will probably need to work for their space and be patient with the puck, when they have it. The Sabres need to shut down the Kings' top line because they've combined for 13 points in the early going. 

Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019 - Sabres @ Sharks- 10:30 p.m.

The Sharks finally got its first win of the season and are 1-4-0 in five games so far this season. The Sharks should try to set the tone early and get off to a better start to the game since they haven't scored very many first period goals this season. The team needs to get the first goal of the game to keep the home crowd in the game and get some momentum. It would be beneficial to the Sharks if the team could find a way to finish and get some pucks in the net. They'll need to find a way to stop Jack Eichel and Victor Olofsson, who have managed to lead the Sabres to a good start.

The Sabres should get the first goal of the game since they are 4-0-0 when scoring the first goal. The Sabres need to know where Brent Burns and Logan Couture are when on the ice since these two can produce points. The team could stand to get off to better starts and get more goals in the first period. The Sabres want to win the even strength battle since the Sharks have a decent penalty kill and can score on the power play.

Sabres Slashes Weekly Prediction

The Sabres will finish the week with a 2-1-1 record. The first win of the week comes against the Ducks in overtime on Wednesday night. The second win of the week comes against the Kings on Thursday night. The Sabres lose in overtime to the Sharks on Saturday night, and will lose in regulation to the Stars on Monday afternoon. Victor Olofsson will keep his hot streak going and score a few goal this week, and Kyle Okposo will get some points this week. 

Flying Forward: Some Games, Finally!

The Philadelphia Flyers have only played one game on the season, but it was part of the NHL Global Series so the rest came with playing in the game. The team looked good, played with the pace that new head coach Alain Vigneault wants. There were still too many turnovers, but Carter Hart played a solid game and cleaned up some of those turnovers. The Flyers got the win without the top line getting any points. The depth scoring is going to be a major factor in how well the team does this season.

The Flyers will finally be able to play some more games, but it will only be two this week. They play its official home opener on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019, against the New Jersey Devils. Wayne Simmonds makes his return to Philadelphia after being traded to the Nashville Predators last season. The team then has off until Saturday night when they face the Vancouver Canucks on the road. The time off should affect how they play, but if the team looks sluggish to start against the Devils, I wouldn't be surprised.

Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019- Devils at Flyers- 7:30 p.m.- NBCSN

The Devils have struggled to keep the puck out of its net to start the season, and that is something that needs to be fixed. The team will need to match the pace of the Flyers, who should come out flying since its the team's official home opener. The Devils need to have a better start to this game, they only have one goal in the first period in two games. The goaltenders, whether it be MacKenzie Blackwood or Cory Schneider, need to make saves for this team to get a win. 

The Flyers have to have their skating legs early in this game to set the pace at which they want to play. The team should try to get the first goal to keep the crowd in the game, and to get the Devils off their game. The Devils haven't been good on the penalty kill so the Flyers want to take advantage of its power play opportunities. The key to this game will be how the Flyers play at even strength, and whether or not they play a clean, solid defensive game. 

Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019- Flyers at Canucks- 10:00 p.m.

The Canucks may be struggling to start the season, but they may have one of the more entertaining young stars in Elias Pettersson. Pettersson was one of the bright spots on the Canucks last season, and I expect him to be just that again this season. The Canucks need to get him and Brock Boeser going, and they can do that by having them use their speed and get pucks on net. The Canucks are a better team when playing the lead rather than chasing the game, so they need to get the first goal of the game. 

The Flyers managed to get a win in their first game without getting a point from Claude Giroux, Kevin Hayes, or Jakub Voracek. If the Flyers want to get the two points the team will need to get some production from this line. The Flyers want to establish a good forecheck early in the game to force the Canucks into turning the puck over. The Flyers need to get the first goal of the game because the Canucks have struggled when trailing especially after the first period. 

Flying Forward Prediction

The Flyers will go 2-0-0 this week and get four of a possible four points. It won't come easy because of the lack of playing games, and the travel schedule. The goaltending will steal a game this week, and the other game will be a close, defensive battle. Kevin Hayes will have a big week for the Flyers, scoring a few goals and assisting on a few others. 

Preds Prey: Two Home, One Road

The Nashville Predators are coming off of a week where they split its first two games of the season. There were mixed results in the games as well as on the ice. In the first game, the Predators got off to a slow start, but the goals started coming in the second period. In the team's second game of the season, the Red Wings won the third period, so they won the game. 

The Predators start its week off on Tuesday night against a winless San Jose Sharks team, but that doesn't mean this game will be an easy win. On Thursday night, the Capitals visit Bridgestone Arena, and Evgeny Kuznetsov will be in the lineup after serving his suspension. The Predators end its week with a quick pit stop in California to take on the Los Angeles Kings. This week could either help or hurt the team in the standings. 

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019- Sharks at Predators- 8 p.m.- NBCSN

The Sharks will come out ready to play tonight since they have a 0-3-0 record.  The whole team has looked bad and has been outplayed in every game this season. If the Sharks want to get its season back on track, they should start with finishing its chances, and getting the big boys on the scoreboard. In three games, the Sharks have three goals, and Logan Couture is the leading scorer with two points. Yes, the offense getting on track will help, but the goalies just need to be better by not allowing any soft goals. 

The biggest problem for the Sharks has been the inability to score goals. The Predators need to get the first goal of the game since the Sharks are 0-3-0 when the opposition scores first. If the team can get establish the forecheck, then it could be a very long game for the Sharks. The Preds would benefit from getting pucks on the net when the opportunity is there because Aaron Dell and Martin Jones have been anything but sharp. This would be a good game to get the depth scorers involved since the Sharks can't keep the puck out of its net. 

Thursday, Oct, 10, 2019- Capitals @ Predators- 8 p.m.

The Capitals have looked good in its three games so far this season, but they have the potential to get even better with the addition of Kuznetsov to the lineup. The addition of Kuznetsov balances out the Capitals' lines. The Capitals have struggled to play a full, 60-minute game on the season, and that will be one key to winning this game. The power play hasn't been horrible to start the season, but they've only scored two power-play goals in 11 opportunities. The key to winning the game against the Predators will be keeping its top six forwards off the score sheet.

The Predators will want to take advantage of their power play opportunities since the Capitals are only killing 71.4% of the penalties taken. The goaltender, whether Juuse Saros or Pekka Rinne, can't allow any soft goals,  but will have to make some outstanding saves. The Predators need to keep the top six forwards of the Capitals in-check to have a shot at getting two points. The biggest key to this game will be getting everyone involved for the Predators, whether on the score sheet or just by playing his position.

3.) Saturday, Oct, 12, 2019- Predators at Kings- 6 p.m.

The Kings haven't seen much action on the ice up to this point in the season. The team has only played one game and will hit the ice for the second time on Tuesday night. The Kings' top line did most of the damage in its first game of the season, and are going to have to continue its play if the Kings want two points in this game. The special teams will need to be sharper since the Predators have a decent power play, and the Kings need to take advantage of its man-advantage opportunities. The key to winning the game is better goaltending since the Predators have a solid top six, who can convert on its chances. 

The Predators should look to get the first goal of the game to take the home crowd out of the game. The Predators defensemen can move the puck from the backend, so they should get involved early with the stretch pass. Kyle Turris is a key player for the Predators this season, and if he can get going early that would help the team tremendously. The Preds should use its speed to enter the offensive zone to create chances. The key to this game for the Predators will be to stop the Kings' top line because as they go the Kings go. 

Preds Prey Prediction

The Predators play two games at home this week and one on the road. The team has the potential to go 3-0-0, but I don't think that this happens because the Capitals get even better with the addition of Kuznetsov to the lineup. Sure, the Sharks will be a desperate team, but the Predators take charge of the game after that first 10-minute push by the Sharks. The Kings come out and give the Predators a little bit of a hard time, but the Preds take care of business in the end. The team finishes the week with a 2-0-1 record. The overtime loss comes against the Capitals.

Matt Duchene will have another big week for the Predators on the stat sheet. In two games, he has five assists for five points. The forward will get his first goal against the Sharks, and that will give him the confidence to get more. The Predators will get the power play figured out and Duchene will contribute to it. Duchene has a combined 38 points against the Sharks and Kings in 41 career games played against the two teams.