Five Can’t-Miss Games of the Buffalo Sabres Season

The Buffalo Sabres and NHL schedules came out last week, and as we already knew, the Sabres kick off the season against the New Jersey Devils as part of NHL Global Series. Buffalo then opens the home portion of its season on Thursday, October 10 against the Los Angeles Kings.

We can’t know what next season will bring, though we can make plenty of judgments based on what Kevyn Adams & co. have or have not done so far this offseason. Regardless of anything else, if you’re looking at next season and wondering which games to consider, here are five that are sure to be entertaining. All five are home games at KeyBank Center.

Saturday, October 12 vs. Florida Panthers, 1 PM

It’s always fun when the Stanley Cup champions come to town. The Panthers will be just two games into their season at this point and still riding the high of the NHL’s ultimate prize. Throw in the multitude of former Sabres players on the team, including notably Sam Reinhart (who deserves the world & more!), and it’s going to be a fun one.

Saturday, December 7 vs. Utah Hockey Club, 1 PM

The new kids in town come to town. Utah will be interesting to watch this year, because they’re fresh and new but also very much an uncertainty. They’re still largely the old Arizona Coyotes’ roster, but throw in a guy like Mikhail Sergachev getting a fresh start and it adds a new level of intrigue. This will be Utah’s first-ever visit to Buffalo, and hey, you don’t often get the chance to see a franchise for the first time ever.

Friday, January 31 vs. Nashville Predators, 7 PM

The Nashville Predators are having a pretty darn good offseason, if I do say so myself. Most notably, they recently signed Steven Stamkos, who’d spent all of his career in Tampa up until this point, and it’ll be really interesting to see how he gels with his new club and uses the fresh start. Add in Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei, and I think the Preds are going to be a team to watch next season.

Monday, March 10 vs. Edmonton Oilers, 6:30 PM

The fateful return of Jeff Skinner. Here’s to hoping the tribute video is appropriately comical and light as Skinner ever was, with plenty of High School Musical references and maybe a good old “Party in the USA” highlight since he is, in fact, no longer partying in the USA. Of course, this is also the chance to see Connor McDavid, which is always a highlight on the Buffalo schedule, especially given his junior roots in nearby Erie, PA.

Tuesday, April 15 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 PM

The last home meeting of the regular season between the Leafs and the Sabres is bound to be a good one. At this point in the season, there’s potential that a playoff berth for either/both teams could be on the line (hey, a girl can dream!) which would up the ante even more than the rivalry already does.