The Buffalo Sabres have encountered several challenges thus far in 2024; however, they aim to rebound on Thursday when they travel to Montreal Canadiens.
Buffalo has had difficulty stringing together victories, having achieved that feat only once in the previous 38 contests (October 29-November 1).
Despite suffering 19 regulation losses, which is among the most in the NHL, Buffalo has avoided extended losing streaks. It has dropped four in a succession only once.
To maintain a berth in the playoff race, the Sabres must not only enter the playoff race but also maintain a consistent presence along the way.
Buffalo head coach Don Granato mentioned that they are in a phase with the quantity of repetitions of this; they are striving to reduce that and emerge from it hence they must improve and find a solution to this.
The Sabres have struggled to get off to a strong start, allowing a league-high 51 goals in the first period and falling behind by at least two goals on multiple occasions. It was repeated in their most recent contest, which they lost 5-1 to the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.
Granato added that he believed the difference in a number of these games would have been if they had a little bit more confidence and less dread and hesitancy, which gives the idea that they are not working or don’t care. Granato believed that this would have been the difference. This is the year that you make that mistake; it is something that actually vexatiously troubles us. It both irritates and keeps us busy at the same time. “The lack of that tiny bit of swagger that we are desperately lacking has had a huge impact on this year,” said the speaker.
Despite the challenges faced by the team, Casey Mittelstadt is discreetly on track to have another outstanding season. Buffalo are led by the center’s 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists). He is five goals away from tying his career high of 66 points set in 2022-23 and is on track to amass seven more than he did last season.
In contrast, Montreal returns home after defeating the Dallas Stars 4-3 on Tuesday to halt a three-game losing streak and salvage a seven-game road journey. The triumph maintains its position among the numerous teams vying for a berth into the playoffs. “We celebrated a monumental victory,” said Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki. “That’s a strong team, and it feels good to take the victory home.”
The Canadiens will be striving to better their results as the hosts upon their return home. At home, Montreal is 7-9-2, but has struggled recently, going 2-6-2 in its last ten games.
Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky have formed a cohesive top three. In his last nine contests, Suzuki has accumulated 12 points (four goals, eight assists), Caufield has recorded three consecutive goals, and Slafkovsky has amassed six points (two goals, four assists) in his last seven assignments. Both of the previous two meetings between the Canadiens and the Sabres this season have been won in Buffalo.