Friday 5: Five Games Every Sabres Fan Should Have Circled
For this week’s Friday 5, I wanted to have a look at the Sabres schedule and see which five games jump off the page. As fans start to grab their single game tickets, or start to think about which tickets they want to ask for as a birthday or Christmas gift, there are a couple of factors I feel are important to consider.
The players on the ice for the other team, whether they are superstars you have to see, or maybe returning players that deserve to be booed or cheered. It’s also about the importance of the game when it comes to playoff ramifications, or a team that, thanks to Buffalo’s success and relevance, has become a bitter foe. I’ll start with a few that came close, but didn’t quite make the cut.
Honourable Mentions
Look, there were way more than five games to circle. The home opener alone is a great place to start. The Chicago Blackhawks will be the first team to visit Buffalo October 3rd, which also marks the return of Bowen Byram, who was traded ahead of the draft. Byram’s intention to never sign with Buffalo, could mean his return to Buffalo may not be a warm one. Sabres fans are never warm to the Toronto Maple Leafs, even if they are often outnumbered in their own building. Will things be different February 27th and March 25th?
The Leafs are looking to rebound after a dismal season led them to pick first in the draft, while Buffalo is looking to prove last year wasn’t a fluke. Every matchup with the Leafs is circled by Sabres fans anyway, but hopefully renewed enthusiasm amongst fans means that Key Bank will see less Blue and White and more Blue and Gold. Two matchups I look at involve generational talents visiting Buffalo in March. Pittsburgh and Sidney Crosby are back in Buffalo on the 2nd, and while it’s most likely not Sid The Kid’s final trip to Buffalo, seeing maybe the greatest player of his generation is always worth the price of admission, though he has been known to torch the Sabres with highlight reel goals.
On March 15th, Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks are in town. Celebrini’s loan trip to Buffalo is a rare opportunity to catch the next generational star in person and at a reasonable hour of the day, as staying up until 1:00 AM to watch the Sharks play isn’t on most Sabres fans radar (unless you’re Sabres Semantics founder Brandon Caputo). So if those are the Honourable Mentions, what are the games that actually made the cut?
Tampa Bay Lightning November 11th, 7pm EST
The first meeting between the Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning will come on home ice for Buffalo. The Sabres had the Lightning’s number last year, including the wild March 8th battle where goals and penalty minutes both had the score keepers reaching for extra paper in an 8-7 Buffalo victory. Will the bad blood carry over? Will Buffalo continue their magic against Andrei Vasilevsky? This game will surely be a measuring stick for this year’s team and one the fan base will definitely want to mark on the calendar.
Edmonton Oilers December 10th, 7:00pm EST
Edmonton’s only trip to Buffalo is one Sabres fans should be in the building for. Anytime you get a chance to watch the best players in the league in their prime (Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl), you should take advantage of that as a fan. If that’s not enough, former Sabres prospects Matt Savoie and Devon Levi could both be in the lineup when the Western Canadian team makes their only trip to Western New York. And if that’s still not enough reason to be in Key Bank, then maybe the opportunity to boo Mike Babcock for not choosing Buffalo back in 2015 will do it. Though, it sounds like we may have dodged a bullet on that one.
Montreal Canadiens December 18th, 7:30pm EST
While the rivalry with the Canadiens may not have the same tension as the Sabres have with the Lightning, Montreal’s first visit of the season to Buffalo is still one of the more important games of the season. The last time Montreal was in Buffalo, the two teams were shaking hands at centre ice after a game 7 OT goal that ended Buffalo’s magical year. Thanks to some odd scheduling, Buffalo plays twice in less than a week at the Bell Centre, three weeks into the season. So by December, the two Atlantic division teams loaded with young talent should have a good grasp on where they are in the standings, and where they are when matched up against each other.
A decisive home ice win could send the message that Buffalo is ready should a post season match up with Montreal be in the cards, in addition to being two critical points taken away from a team you’ll be battling with just to get to the post season in the toughest division in the NHL. This one is mandatory attendance for Sabres fans to keep as many Bleu, Blanc et Rouge sweaters out of Key Bank as possible.
Washington Capitals March 18th 7:30pm EST
The Sabres will have to wait until March to welcome Alex Tuch home. The power forward had been an integral part of Buffalo’s program since being acquired from Vegas in the Jack Eichel trade. A home town discount wasn’t in the cards for the Syracuse native, and Tuch and the Sabres amicably parted with a sign and trade deal that netted the Sabres a third round pick from Washington. It is sure to be an emotional game for Tuch and the Sabres fans. It could also be a game that is quite critical in the Sabres quest to make the post season again, as the Capitals should be an improved team who at the very least will be in wild card contention. This could also be the final chance Buffalo fans will have to see Alex Ovechkin play in Buffalo as speculation around when the greatest goal scorer the game has ever seen will be hanging up the skates continues.
Boston Bruins April 1st 7:00pm EST
Despite beating the Bruins in six games in the opening round of the playoffs, this felt like a series with more bad blood than Buffalo’s second round matchup with Montreal. The war of words, the battle on the ice, how will it carry over? By this point Buffalo will already have made two trips to TD Garden, and again thanks to weird scheduling, this will be the first of two matchups on home ice in less than a week against the Bruins. Ideally, the Sabres will be comfortably in the playoffs with five games remaining in the month of April. It isn’t inconceivable though, that this third match up of the season could carry massive playoff ramifications for either team. Throw in the x-factor of JJ Peterka returning to Buffalo, now playing for an Atlantic division rival, and this game could be one of the most important match ups for Sabres fans all season. No fooling.
What games do you have circled on the Buffalo Sabres schedule this season?
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