The first half of the NHL season has come and gone. With the All Star Game behind us, the focus for NHL teams are on the second half of the season. It’s crazy that it’s February already and the regular season will be done in a couple of months. With that being said, it looks like the Buffalo Sabres will miss the playoffs for an 11th consecutive season. Now, a lot can happen between now and the end of the April, but all signs point to the the franchise not being in the postseason once again. However, there were some good things that happened in the first half. In this article, I’m going to recap the first half and tell you what to expect from the team during the final half of the season.
First Half Recap
After starting off hot to start the regular season, the Sabres cooled off. Listen, I think everyone knew Buffalo wasn’t going to be a playoff team. Especially with losing core players in the offseason such as Sam Reinhart and Linus Ullmark. With Jack Eichel getting traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, it had the makings of another rough season. Even though the team doesn’t have a winning record, there were some good moments. I don’t think any team in the NHL has had a rough time with injuries and Covid-19 like the Sabres. A good majority, if not everyone on the team, has been impacted by those two things.
However, the team has had some new faces step up. Some of these names include Brett Murray, Peyton Krebs and JJ Peterka. There are a few more names but I’ll cut it short. Add those guys with the core they have right now, this team is fun to watch. Yes I know they’re 10 games under .500, but the team has been competitive for the most part. They also have had some breakout players including Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Kyle Okposo and even Craig Anderson. While it’s what we expected when it comes to results, there were some good things that happened in the first half of the season.
What To Expect In The Second Half
Looking at the Sabres right now, they are 14-24-7, 20 points out of a playoff spot and currently sitting in 7th place in the Atlantic Division. They host the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight to start the second half of the season. In this section, I’m going to tell you what you should expect from Buffalo in the last half of the regular season. If you want to be optimistic about possibly making the playoffs, I don’t see it happening but never say never. This is what I think will happen. IF this team can stay healthy, they will be in every game. The results in the first half of the regular season don’t tell the story because at times, this team has been in every game. At times they’ve looked good and other times they’ve looked bad.
With that being said, it looks bleak right now but just think ahead Sabres fans. I know this has been said to us what seems like a thousand times. The future is bright. I truly believe this team will be in the playoffs in a couple of seasons. They have the core in place, now they just need to build on it. They’re only a couple of pieces away from being in the postseason. Even though I don’t think they will make it this season, start watching them because as I said before, they’re playing competitively and that’s what my goal was for them this season.
(Featured image credit to the Buffalo News).
-Zach Jezioro (@ZachJ13_ on Twitter)
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