The Buffalo Sabres sit last in the Eastern Conference, but they have plenty of reasons to be confident as they prepare to host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
The Sabres may be looking up at all the other conference rivals, but it is a short distance between themselves and the club holding the second wild-card spot.
Buffalo is only four points back of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who currently sit in the final East playoff spot.
Moreover, the Sabres are back in action after one of their strongest performances of the season, a 5-1 thumping of the Edmonton Oilers on Monday to open a four-game homestand.
“It was sticking to that same game plan,” Buffalo forward Beck Malenstyn said. “Maybe there’s a few plays that you aren’t quite as aggressive, you keep a guy back, but for the most part, I thought we played on the front foot, which allowed us to keep them under pressure.”
Buffalo has won two consecutive games, and receiving contributions from all over the lineup. One of the most heartening stories is the play of captain Rasmus Dahlin, who has collected four assists in two games since returning to the club after a trip to Sweden to spend time with his fiancee, who is recovering from a heart transplant.
Another positive is the emergence of young players while a collection of veterans have been sidelined due to injury. Against Edmonton, Noah Ostund, a 2022 first-round draft choice with just one previous NHL goal, scored twice.
“The progress of these guys has been real good,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “How well they played down in Rochester (in the AHL). Now they’re starting to feel a little bit more comfortable. … They’re making steps toward being a regular NHL player.”
The Flames, who sit last in the league, arrive on the heels of a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday to kick off a two-game trip with contests on consecutive nights.
Calgary erased a 2-0 deficit early in the third period, but the Blackhawks pulled away thanks to a couple of odd bounces that resulted in goals against and handed the struggling club its fifth loss in six outings (1-4-1).
“You earn your bounces, always,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “When you’re doing the right things, the bounces tend to go your way. When you’re not, they tend to not.
“There was a lot to our game I don’t think was very good.”
The Flames have managed only two victories in 12 road games (2-9-1), and the frustration is palpable. It even boiled over on the ice at the end of what became a chippy affair in Chicago.
“There’s gonna be frustrations when you’re last in the league,” said defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who scored once in a two-point game.
“Pretty bad game by us, honestly. The first two periods weren’t good enough. We still end up with it 2-2 in the third and we’ve got to find a way to at least get one point. A bad game from our side.”
At least the taste will not remain for long with another game on the docket so quickly.
“You have to move away from it fairly quickly, but you have to realize why we weren’t very good,” Huska said.
–Field Level Media
