It has been rough sledding for the Buffalo Sabres of late. After impressive wins over the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets, the Sabres proceeded to lose the first three legs of a six-game road trip.
A win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday was a nice start, but the playoffs may be wishful thinking. They followed that up with a rarity: a win on the road that didn’t take extra time. Let’s get into the takeaways from the Sabres’ 3-2 win on the road against the Vancouver Canucks.
A Regulation Road Win!
It really can’t be said enough what an accomplishment this is for the Sabres. The last time they won in regulation on the road, it was April Fools’ Day. That’s right, it has been nearly a calendar year since the Sabres managed to defeat an opponent on their own ice in regulation.
Sure, the Canucks are a miserable tire fire of their own and their superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes may be on his way out. Even still, for a team that came into the game 3-9-2 on the road, a win is a win.
There is just one game left on this road trip, a visit to Seattle on Sunday evening. The trip can’t be fully salvaged but finishing 3-3-0 would be a positive for a team that previously literally could not get a victory on the road without some extra time.
Welcome to the Goal Column, Zach Benson
The Sabres have had a few regressions this season but one of the most frustrating is the fact that Zach Benson had exactly no goals to his name his season. In fact, his goalless stretch goes back to last season, totaling 35 games in all.
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Benson, showing good chemistry with Josh Doan, took a feed in the slot from his linemate and absolutely wired one from just inside the slot over the glove hand of Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko.
It’s nice to see Benson finally get his name in the goal column. Hopefully, this is the moment that bursts the dam and leads to greater offensive output from a guy that the Sabres were hoping would take a major step forward offensively this season.
Dahlin on a Run
The stars for the Sabres have had extra pressure put on them this season, thanks largely to the ridiculous plethora of injuries that have plagued this team. For someone like Rasmus Dahlin, who had expectations of contending for the Norris Trophy, it has been an uneven season.
Of late, however, Dahlin has come alive. In his last six games, he has a pair of goals and nine points. He has shown so much more offensively than we had seen (for the most part) this season. Seeing him take his game to the next level is encouraging.
The Sabres are currently five points out of a playoff spot. If they are going to salvage this season and go on a run, they will need Dahlin to really step up as the captain of this team and lead it. Over the last half-dozen games, he has clearly kicked his game up a notch.
Too Little, Too Late
It might be pessimistic, but it feels like far too little, too late for this team. They go in fits and bursts – two wins here, three losses to follow. It is the kind of inconsistency that has plagued this franchise for more than a decade and doesn’t look like it is going anywhere anytime soon.
Winning on Sunday against the Kraken would be a good place to start, but it will be just that – a start. They don’t need to win 10 in a row or anything like that, but they can’t follow up these short winning streaks with prolonged losing streaks if they have serious intentions when it comes to making the playoffs.
