As the 2024-25 season draws to a close, the Buffalo Sabres and their fans are looking for something, anything, to cling onto. A 5-2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club was bad enough without an own goal coming at the end of the game to perfectly encapsulate the season.
Heading north to play the Minnesota Wild, each of these games feels like an exercise in, “What’s the point?” The team played like they feel the same. There isn’t much left to say, but let’s get into the takeaways from the 4-1 loss to the Wild.
This Game Was Over 8 Minutes In
The one positive for fans of the Sabres – those who clearly have a penchant for masochism – is that this game was over before it even really started. It took all of 8:11 for the Wild to pile up a 3-0 lead, and everyone in the building knew that was game. Even when J.J. Peterka scored in the third, no one actually felt like it was a threat.
There is a bright side to this, I suppose. It feels a lot worse when the Sabres play really well for one or even two periods, sometimes having a lead in the process, only to blow it all in the most obvious and expected way possible.
These kinds of performances would be fine if we weren’t in the 14th season of it. The Sabres lay down and die far too often, and showing some consistent fight to finish out the season would be a big positive. Yet here we are, another pathetic performance in the books.
This Team Is Pathetic
What is there to even say about this team anymore? No matter what approach is taken regarding this team, it all comes back to negativity because there is virtually nothing positive to talk about when it comes to this team.
Related: Sabres Have a Lot to Clean Up During the Upcoming Offseason
Sure, Tage Thompson is having a very good offensive season and Rasmus Dahlin is excellent in virtually every metric. Past that, the best you could say is that certain players have massive holes in their game. They showed no fight in this one, simply letting the Wild roll over them in the early stages of the game, and not showing much resolve as things moved on. Managing just six shots after the abysmal first period is the kind of thing the Sabres do far too often.
Massive changes aren’t coming because this isn’t the EA Sports NHL franchise. Teams don’t trade their entire roster in one offseason, not that the Sabres really need to do that. But at this point, there are a multitude of issues to address, and it doesn’t seem realistic to think that this team will see the playoffs for at least another few seasons.
Can’t Even Look Forward to the Offseason
Speaking of the offseason, the negativity train is going to continue for at least a couple more paragraphs. Going into last offseason, it felt like there was a clear plan. The team needed to get the fourth line tougher, and to find some help in the top six forward group.
The fourth line was totally revamped yet remains an Achilles heel that can barely play because of how bad they are. The top six didn’t get that boost, though Jason Zucker has been a revelation of a signing.
Going into this offseason, there are a million questions. Who fills out the third defensive pairing? Will the Sabres address the backup goaltending issue for the first time in 15 years? Will they finally find someone who can provide leadership and production? There aren’t nearly enough answers to fix all the problems the Sabres have.
What Are We Even Doing Here?
It sounds a bit joke-y here, but if the Sabres could forfeit the season, that would be best. The fan base is dangerously close to a collective walkout, ownership is considered the worst and most hated in the NHL, and there is not even a shred of positivity with this team.
Even if the Sabres get the first overall pick (again), there is no immediate help coming. There isn’t even a consensus first-overall pick, which is of course fitting. The best possible prospect will realistically need a season before they can join the Sabres, leaving this team in limbo yet again.
