Good news is hard to come by for the Buffalo Sabres and their fans following a horrific two games in Prague, so they’ll take it as it comes.
Words can’t express how bad things got for the Sabres in their back-to-back losses to the New Jersey Devils last week. They couldn’t do anything right, and part of that came from their inability to address a major need, but I could write a book on how poorly things went for the Blue and Gold that would go beyond the scope of this article.
It’s still early in the week, and we’re still roughly 48 hours from the home-opening faceoff vs. the LA Kings. So, any good news that could invigorate the team and fans is something we should take with a fine grain of salt. But earlier today, we learned a pair of Sabres players could return to action by Thursday night.
For the Sabres, this is huge since JJ Peterka and Zach Benson are the players in question. Both had more than proven their respective values throughout their short time on the ice this season, but Peterka, unfortunately, left Game 2 with a concussion while Benson never played, but not before getting some good looks in Game 1.
Sabres could take full advantage of Kings weak goaltending
Zach Benson caught on during the final games last season, and we all know how effective a healthy JJ Peterka was. Heading into a game with the LA Kings, the Blue and Gold will likely be facing Darcy Kuemper, someone who has struggled a lot throughout his career.
Without Benson and Peterka, the Sabres still have an advantage, but to get a gritty forward and a surefire scorer back for the game, it could fuel an early-season resurgence. We all know that after the debacle to open the season, the Blue and Gold need it if they’re interested in building early-season momentum.
Of course, the rest of the team and its heavy hitters also need to step up. Nobody on the Sabres has more than one point, and only Tage Thompson and Owen Power found the back of the net. Peterka’s and Benson’s potential returns this Thursday would help the Sabres, but unless the rest of the Blue and Gold want to take advantage of some potentially weak netminding, it won’t be an easy home opener.
Last season, the Sabres made a bad habit of playing some of their worst games against below-average or so-so goalies. They can’t let that happen again this year in what is a pivotal season for general manager Kevyn Adams, who will look awful if the Sabres struggles offensively continue.
