The Buffalo Sabres have not made the playoffs since the 2010-11 season. The Sabres were hopeful to break their NHL record drought this year. Although it has been a disappointing campaign so far, but there is no reason to sound the alarm just yet.
The Sabres are 5-6-4 on the year, which places them as the worst team in the Eastern Conference. Further, the team has lost six of the last seven games. They have had some close defeats, though. They are 1-2-4 in their last six games. This comes after the Sabres won four of five games earlier this year. The team may be in last place in the conference, but they are just four points outside of a playoff spot. It could be difficult for Buffalo to make a run, but they can stay in contention if a few things go the right way.
Sabres need some key players to return
The Sabres are missing some of their top players. One of the major pieces currently missing is Rasmus Dahlin, who is taking a personal leave of absence. He currently does not have an expected return date as he is back in Sweden to take care of his fiancée. Carolina Matovac, Dahlin's fiancée, is recovering from a heart transplant after experiencing sudden heart failure.
Meanwhile, Jiri Kulich is also out of the lineup and expected to miss significant time due to blood clot issues. Kulich scored 15 goals and added nine assists in 62 games last year. He was on pace to eclipse those marks this season. The team will improve if Kulich can return.
Zach Benson could return soon. He was dealing with a lower-body injury and was playing great before going down with an injury. Benson had eight assists in eight games, well on his way to setting career highs in assists and points. Josh Norris is also working his way back from a long-term ailment and will make an impact once he is able to return.
Finally, Jason Zucker has been dealing with a viral illness. He has not played since November 1, and there is still no timeline for his return. It is not expected that he will miss the rest of the season, though. Zucker has found the back of the net four times while adding three assists this year. Bringing back all five players will immediately improve the roster and could put them in a position to make up ground in the Eastern Conference.
Buffalo may have a solid goaltending tandem
Alex Lyon saw plenty of time in between the pipes early in the season as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was injured. He was solid early this year. While Lyon had a 3-5-3 record, he had a 2.92 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. Luukkonen has not been as good, but has a 2.91 goals-against average. He also has a .877 save percentage. Still, he has made just three starts so far on the year.
Luukkonen was expected to be the primary goaltender this season, but with how Lyon has played, a timeshare could be in order. If one goalie gets hot, the Sabres have the potential to go on a winning streak.
Ultimately, this is all about expectations for the Sabres. The team was not projected as a potential playoff team, but did expect to see improvement and potentially stay in contention. Buffalo isn't out of contention yet, though, and with the entire Eastern Conference within eight points of each other, the Sabres may be able to stick around if a couple of things go right.
