Why the Sabres’ recent hot streak is a bad thing
Things have been looking pretty positive around Western New York over the past couple of weeks…but is that a good thing?
The Buffalo Sabres are (surprisingly) one of the hottest teams in the NHL. With wins in five of their past six games – beating the likes of the Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets – the Sabres have given some of their fans something to cheer about.
However, these “garbage time” victories might end up hurting the future of the team. With the recent run of victories, Buffalo has climbed out of last place in the Eastern Conference, worsening their chances of picking first overall in the upcoming NHL Draft, and potentially giving management the optimism that will limit some needed changes before next season.
On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk explain why the Sabres’ recent success is a bad thing.
Frank Seravalli: I think, deep down, management knows that this team needs significant surgery. I’ll say that no matter what, this run is a bad thing. The rise up the standings, for who for what? Why win now? What’s the difference? You’re not just screwing yourself out of a draft pick, but you’re also potentially providing ammo to anyone that thinks that this team, which is not even being taken seriously by opponents, which is part of the reason why they’re winning, is capable of being more.
Too often in the NHL, teams that are in this spot look at results in late March and the first two weeks of April, when everyone else has zoned out and the games don’t mean as much on particular nights, that that is some sign of future success or that they can link it to, ‘Hey, we’re just going to hit the ground running with the momentum from last season, when everything starts back up again in October.’ That’s just not how it works.
Tyler Yaremchuk: A month ago, they would have had roughly a 19 percent chance of picking in the top two. … Now you look at where they are, it’s closer to 13 percent.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…