The Buffalo Sabres have kicked off their 2025-26 campaign with a winless record, setting them equal with their last season’s slate in the first three games. The Sabres first suffered a gruesome shutout against the New York Rangers at home before bowing to the Boston Bruins in a thrilling finish. Then, on Monday afternoon, the Colorado Avalanche proved too much for Buffalo as they dropped their third straight game to start the season.
Opening with an identical record as last season’s, not much has changed for the Sabres in terms of their play on the ice. Off the ice, however, a few tweaks seemed to have derailed Buffalo’s progress, while some changes that could have benefited the team ended up costing them significantly at the beginning of the season.
Difference: Sabres Started This Season With a Complete Training Camp, Unlike Last Season
This offseason’s training camp marked the first full camp in Lindy Ruff’s second tenure at the helm for the Sabres because the Global Series games played in Prague, Czechia, cut last year’s short. After just six days of camp, Buffalo flew to Prague as they took on the New Jersey Devils in a two-game series. The condensed version of the camp proved to be disruptive for Ruff, who had his time of familiarizing the players and incorporating them into his system trimmed. Having had more time to prepare for the season, Ruff thought that he had a better opportunity to get a “better handle on these players.” Hence, it’s ironic that the Sabres still struggle with offensive production, both at five-on-five and on the man-advantage.
Similarity: Sabres’ Offense Looked Underwhelming in All 3 Games
To put how poorly the Sabres’ offense performed over the last three games in perspective, 64 players have scored more or the same number of goals as the Sabres. Buffalo currently ranks dead-last in goals for (GF) with just two, a goal lower than last season’s, with the only reason why they aren’t in last place for two consecutive years is that they have played more games already than the other teams. Meanwhile, Buffalo has yet to convert on the man advantage, a similar situation to last season.
The Sabres’ offensive woes to start the season look eerily similar to their early-season offensive struggles last October. Both offenses faced difficulties generating offensive zone time, with skaters hanging around the perimeter instead of being on the boards or imposing their will on the net for rebounds, and turnovers negating their chances of scoring.
On the other hand, their power plays saw Buffalo draw out seemingly predictable plays and show an inability to penetrate through the neutral zone and blue line to set up their offense. The team’s play of swinging between the top of the key and the top of the right circle to slip it to the left faceoff circle for a one-timer proved to be one-dimensional for other teams to stifle. Then, they would blow other opportunities because of sloppy execution as opponents clear the puck, forcing them to roll with the second power-play unit as time on the man advantage expires.
Difference: Injury Bug Plagued the Sabres’ Lineup This Time
The Sabres are currently missing six of their players due to injuries, namely Mattias Samuelsson, Zach Benson, Josh Norris, Michael Kesselring, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Jordan Greenway. Because of these absences, some players were tasked to fill bigger roles, with some holding their own, while others underperformed in their new assignments.
Norris and Samuelsson both incurred injuries during one of the first three games, with Norris in particular expected to miss a significant amount of time. The 26-year-old fell after a faceoff, and the team later confirmed that he suffered an upper-body injury, which is not related to the ones he had before. In light of his absence, the Sabres have now experimented with two centers on the top line.
Related: It’s Time for Sabres Fans to Boycott the Team
Tage Thompson currently holds the top-line center job, with Kulich being relegated to the fourth line after disappointing in the first three games, according to Ruff. He said, “[Kulich] needs to be a better player. He needs to make more plays. He needs to skate more. His skating inside the game hasn’t been where it was last year. He needs to be a better player for us.”
On a positive note, both Luukkonen, Benson, and Greenway were cleared to practice and are set to return within the next few games, with Benson possibly suiting up against the Ottawa Senators.
Similarity: Sabres’ Penalty Kill Excelled
The Sabres’ penalty kill has proven to be a bright spot during their early struggles. So far, they have managed to stop all their opponents’ chances with the man advantage. Buffalo’s cohesive style of play, with well-timed rotations and persistent stick checking, thwarted their opponent’s opportunities, clearing puck possession after puck possession. If the Sabres could have translated their ironclad identity on penalty kills to five-on-five situations, the team could have been in a better position as of this writing.
Sabres’ Hopes Continue to Fade, Hence This Team Has Some Serious Changes to Consider
Losing the first three games of the season is just one of many misfortunes this team has dealt with over its 14-year playoff drought. With no expectations of the Sabres taking their franchise in a different turn, the fanbase will tire from one day to the next. Whether it be a drastic turnover in the front office, a roster overhaul, or replacing the coaching staff, the Sabres’ organization has a lot to consider before another season slips away.
