There is nothing worse for a team than being out of the playoff race and still having to play out the remainder of the season. The Buffalo Sabres were hot, though back-to-back losses to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers have put a damper on that momentum.
Because of that, Sunday’s early evening matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning just didn’t have that much intensity behind it. The results were typical of the Sabres: build momentum, see it disappear, get crushed under opposition momentum. Let’s get into the three takeaways from the loss to the Lightning.
Reimer Isn’t the Solution
Let’s get one thing out of the way immediately: James Reimer has been outstanding lately, and it’s been fun to watch. During his seven-start winning streak, he was as good as you could ask of any netminder, not just one that’s 37 years old.
No, he wasn’t good in this game. He gave up seven goals on 31 shots against a very good Lightning team. And, no, this game specifically was not the indication that he isn’t the answer as a backup.
Reimer hasn’t been good for the better part of three seasons now. This streak is definitely an anomaly, and it’s tough to improve as you get this close to the end of a career. He should be applauded for his play of late, but he isn’t the guy the Sabres need as a backup going into 2025-26.
The Sabres Are Still Light Years Behind Good Teams
The Sabres did manage to beat some good teams through their latest winning streak, so it’s not like this was the first real matchup they had. Even if you can see some positives to take into next season, there is still a massive distance between the Sabres and the legitimately good teams.
Related: 3 Encouraging Signs from the Sabres’ 2024-25 Season
The Lightning were thought to be dead years ago as cap issues began to rise. But as things unfolded, Tampa’s management got it together, found good value, and surrounded its stars with other pieces to complement them.
The Sabres have pieces in place and aren’t as bad as they appear, but there is still a long, long, long way to go. Sabres management should be taking note if they want to learn what it takes to get to the top, because Tampa is challenging for yet another title.
Alex Tuch Deserves a Big, Fat Raise
There were rumors around the trade deadline that Alex Tuch was not part of the Sabres’ long-term plans. It felt insane at the time and is even more so now that we’ve seen him become one of the two or three best players on the team on a nightly basis.
Tuch picked up his 35th goal of the season against the Lightning, putting him just one behind his career-high of 36 set during the 2022-23 season. His 65 points are also the second-best of his career. Oh, he also leads the league in shorthanded goals.
He is as obvious a leader as there is in that locker room, and one of the best two-way forwards in the league. He deserves a big, fat extension this offseason to lock him in as part of this core. When Terry Pegula talked about there being solutions in the room, Tuch actually became one of them.
Can We Just End the Season Already?
At this point in the season, the lineup looks drastically different and we’re all just treading water waiting for things to be over. Even if the Sabres have looked much better over the last five or six weeks, the season is an abject failure. It needs to be over.
Playing spoiler to the Toronto Maple Leafs and their Atlantic Division aspirations would be nice, but that’s about it. Now begins the long journey to October and the hopes that the Sabres will have finally figured it out.
