Coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off, there wasn’t a lot of excitement surrounding the Buffalo Sabres. In fact, it became easier to look at past failures or the names of yesteryear rather than ahead to a tilt with the New York Rangers on Saturday evening.
It was all sunshine and roses for the Sabres, however. They jumped out early and crushed the Rangers before the first intermission arrived. Even more impressively, they never seemed threatened to give up the lead as they normally would. Let’s look at the biggest takeaways from the 8-2 thumping of the Rangers.
The Offense Can Be One of the Most Dangerous in the League
This felt like as perfect an offensive showing as there could be for the Sabres. Jack Quinn started the scoring just 1:46 into the game, beating Igor Shesterkin on a rough wrist shot. Things remained quiet until four goals came in the span of 6:23, giving the Sabres a 5-0 lead at the first break.
This isn’t the first time the Sabres have poured in a flurry of goals. In fact, it has been rough sledding for Shesterkin so far this season against the Sabres. He has been chased from the net in two of three starts and given up 12 goals on 59 shots against Buffalo.
The Sabres are 11th in the NHL in total goals and 10th in goals for per game at 3.22. The offense is there. Just imagine how deadly they would be if they could turn in an effort on the power play better than 27th in the league. The offensive ability is there, even if it is a bit streaky.
Jack Quinn Is Reminding Us Why We Were Excited for This Season
Because they are so far down in the standings, it’s hard to focus on anything but potential trades. Quinn’s name has come up as one of the pieces most often going out, along with fellow youngster Dylan Cozens (who has been tied to Elias Pettersson and about a dozen other trades).
Quinn may have shown enough life after an abysmal start to salvage his place on the team. Yes, he has 10 goals and 21 points in 48 games, which is massively disappointing. But consider that, after a start in which he scored one goal and six points in 24 games, he now has nine goals and 15 points in his last 24 games.
It isn’t the “breakout star” performance that we all wanted and expected from Quinn. But the fact that he’s worked to overcome, to find his game in the face of adversity, can’t be ignored. More than anyone else, it is critical for Quinn to continue to find momentum heading into the final stages of the season.
There Are More Answers on This Team Than We Thought
It has been something of a joke within the Sabres online space that owner Terry Pegula said he thought the answer to the team’s woes was “in the room.” While the team has struggled and will almost definitely miss the playoffs yet again, Pegula may not have been super off base.
There are definitely pieces that should be here for the foreseeable future. Rasmus Dahlin is an elite defenseman. Tage Thompson has blossomed since being moved to the wing. Ryan McLeod looks to be the answer to the third-line center question the Sabres have had for ages. Bowen Byram, Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker, Owen Power, and Jiri Kulich all have shown that they belong.
It’s tougher building a full NHL roster than most fans realize. For the Sabres, there is at least some solace in the fact that this shouldn’t be a total teardown. In order to get the stink off this franchise, the players on the roster simply need to overcome it. There are more guys here ready to do that than meets the eye.
Keep Building Momentum
The Sabres are still dead last in the Eastern Conference with 51 points, and commentator Rob Ray took a puck to the face that led to an unintentionally funny moment, but there are signs of momentum starting to build. The Sabres are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games and are slowly closing the gap between them and the 15th-place Pittsburgh Penguins.
While the season seems too far out of reach, the Sabres have potential. Going on a run would slingshot them up the standings, and virtually everyone from the eighth seed down is struggling right now. But for now, the key is to build momentum going into the offseason.
