Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Another Season Defining Stretch?
They sit in 8th, 2 points out of 7th, 3 out of 6th, 4 out of 5th. 3 point games have narrowed the gap between the upper echelon and the teams fighting for their playoff lives. They have to take advantage of the opportunities they present themselves. Tonight begins a stretch where they can make a jump.
The Sabres have 7 games before the beginning of the New Year. Devils, Kings, Habs, Penguins, Caps, Isles, Caps. Anything less than 4 wins out of those 7 games would be unacceptable. These opponents are either riddled with injury, recent struggles, or are plain not as talented as the Sabres, they need to take advantage.
The Devils, once one of the hotter teams in the league, have fallen off behind the lapsing goaltending of Clemmensen and the recently healthy Kevin Weekes. The Kings, albeit have been playing well, are still hamstrung with goaltending issues and lack of an identity. The next games, Montreal and Pittsburgh, present 4 point swings in the conference standings, and the Sabres need to play their best, regardless of both the Habs and Pens recent struggles. The pair of tilts with the Capitals are also very important, not so much in the playoff race, but rather we need to be able to take 4 points from an injury riddled team. The Islanders…are the Islanders.
I don’t expect to go 7-0 through the rest of December, but it is important looking ahead. January begins with tilts with the Bruins, Sens, Rangers, Red Wings, and Blackhawks. The Sabres need to fully take advantage of these next 7 games, or they once again could be on the outside looking in.
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