The Buffalo Sabres have quietly been one of the hottest teams in the Atlantic Division. That’s right, the Buffalo Sabres. Coming into Tuesday’s matchup with the Ottawa Senators, the Sabres had won four of their previous five games, an impressive stretch for this team.
The Sabres continued their impressive play, dominating the playoff-bound Senators on their home ice yet again. There are a few key takeaways from the very impressive 5-2 win in Ottawa, so let’s get right to it.
Sabres’ Dominance of the Senators Is Hilarious and Unexplainable
There haven’t been many things to go right for the Sabres this season, but the sheer dominance against the Senators has been absolutely hilarious. This being the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season, the Sabres closed out the season series with a four-game sweep.
The stars of the team have been strong against Ottawa, with Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson scoring four goals and eight points in four games against the Sens this season. Hopefully, this is a sign of positive things to come, but at least we can look back on the dominance of the Senators as a positive from this season.
It’s funny because both teams were linked together as perpetually struggling franchises that just couldn’t figure it out. It’s less funny when you think about the fact that the Senators – with Dylan Cozens – are likely making the playoffs as a wild card team.
Reimer’s Resurgence Has Been Nice
James Reimer, the 37-year-old backup goaltender, seemed like a complete miss for much of the season. At first blush, his 7-6-2 record is nothing to write home about. And while he won’t land on the list of the greatest to play the position for this franchise, his recent performance has been fun to watch.
Reimer has now won his last five starts and has taken on the lion’s share of the starts in recent weeks from a struggling Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Over his last 10 starts, Reimer has given up more than three goals just twice, and one of those saw the team score eight goals in a win (Washington Capitals).
Reimer doesn’t factor into the team’s long-term plans, and his play early in the season got him released. But it’s been nice to see him come around and enjoy a mini renaissance, providing the kind of solid goaltending that the team had been hoping for out of a backup.
The Leaders Are Standing Out
There will be changes this offseason, though it remains to be seen just how drastic those changes will be. What is clear, at least in recent weeks, is who the leaders on this team are. Tuch, Thompson, and Rasmus Dahlin have clearly been the three best players on this team all season, with J.J. Peterka not far behind.
Speculation swirled around the trade deadline, particularly around Tuch. But it seems clear that these four – while not untouchable – are the foundation of this franchise. With the right pieces, they could be even better than they have been this season (and in 2022-23, Peterka excluded).
Being the general manager of this team is not an enviable job. Making the “right” moves to get the Sabres back into the playoffs is a tougher task than it seems, but these are the guys in the room that owner Terry Pegula referred to. It is on their backs that the Sabres will rise from the ashes.
Better Than the Bruins!
With the win, the Sabres are officially better than the Boston Bruins! With a game in hand, it is possible that the Sabres could finish ahead of the Bruins in the standings. The Sabres have more regulation wins (32-30), far more goals, and a much better goal differential.
It won’t be a fun offseason to be a Sabres fan, but there is some solace in besting their long-time rival in the standings. The Bruins’ collapse this season has been a wild ride, and it is something that Sabres fans can look upon with fondness and joy.
