To say that the bottom has fallen out from beneath the Buffalo Sabres would be an understatement. Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs – somewhat masked by the impressive win of the Buffalo Bills – brought the losing streak to double digits, something they looked to right on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens.
It took all of 0:19 to extinguish the hope Sabres fans might have had left. There was no comeback. Things didn’t get any better. Instead, they were crushed 6-1 by the Canadiens, moving them to last in the Eastern Conference. There are takeaways in here somewhere, so let’s get into it.
This Team Is Pathetic
Normally, these takeaways look at the game as a whole and talk about the good and the bad. There was no good in this game. Sure, it was nice to see Dylan Cozens rip an absolute laser beam past Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault early in the second period.
Past that, there is nothing worth mentioning from the Sabres end of things. It took all of 0:19 for the Canadiens to get on the board, yet another rebound that no Sabres defenseman was in the area to control. It is a theme that has persisted this season and will no doubt continue to do so.
What are we even doing at this point? How did it get to this point? A month ago, the Sabres were in third place in the Atlantic Division after sweeping a West Coast road trip. Now, we’re at 11 losses in a row and counting. When do things ever change for the Sabres?
This Team Is a Joke
What even is this team? Sure, there are a few guys playing relatively well on the whole of the season, but there is no one jumping out as a massive positive. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been legitimately good this season, but none of that matters because of how bad the rest of the team is.
Related: 3 Sabres Who Have Performed Well During Their Losing Streak
The 2022-23 team feels like a mirage at this stage. This is perhaps the saddest part about following the Sabres because that team didn’t make the playoffs either, yet fans pine for them because at least it was a fun team to watch.
No, Seriously, This Team Is Pathetic
What can we realistically hope to change at this stage? Tage Thompson is a streaky scorer now. J.J. Peterka has fallen off the face of the earth after a hot offensive start. Injuries continue to persist but does that even matter? The team just finds new ways to lose.
Jack Quinn and Dylan Cozens have combined for a whopping 21 points. Jason Zucker has that many by himself! Every possible way this team could disappoint, they have found a way to do so. The fans are openly talking about selling the team and moving it out of Buffalo in case you didn’t quite get how well this season is going.
How can Josh Allen exist within the same relative geographical space as this abomination? Careers go to die in the blue and gold, engulfed in the mediocrity that the franchise has made the norm. Will things change if they lose 20 games in a row? 25 games? 30 games? Will any of it matter?
What Is the Breaking Point?
The big rumor on Monday was that owner Terry Pegula was in Montreal to have a meeting with the team. Reports coming out of that meeting are that Pegula told the team that he believes the fix is in the room and not to expect any big trades.
It is very clear that the fix is not in the room. Instead of galvanizing, channeling their embarrassment, and rebounding against the worst team in the conference, they got smacked yet again. This franchise is snake-bitten on a level no other team has experienced. What point does it get to before something, literally anything, is done?
