Sabers lose to Pens, fall back into division basement – ​​and it could get worse from here

THE Buffalo swords are currently on a competitive roller coaster. On Wednesday, they entered their match against the Pittsburgh Penguins On a good note, as they had won four of their last five games and were climbing out of the basement of the Atlantic Division, things were looking up.

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Then, on Wednesday, the Sabers put forth an effort that wasn’t enough to beat a struggling Pens team and solidify Buffalo’s spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The Sabers were beaten 4-2 by the Penguins, and this development, combined with the Toronto Maple Leafs“2-1 victory against Columbus Blue Jacketsmeans the Sabers are once again the worst team in the East.

The Sabers managed to tie the game against Pittsburgh at 7:20 of the third period thanks to a goal from Jason Zucker. But 31 seconds after Zucker’s goal, the Penguins struck again on a Bryan Rust goal to make it 3-1. And from there, the Penguins never looked back. They got a good performance from Tristan Jarry and held Buffalo to just 19 shots on goal.

But here’s the deflating part: In the highly competitive Atlantic Region, all eight teams in the division played Wednesday. And at the end of the day, five Atlantic teams were victorious, so moving up the division ladder was extremely difficult for most. And since the Sabers were one of those three losing teams in the Atlantic, they had more of a gap between them and most of the teams in the division.

Star Center Norris is close to returning to action – but can he stay healthy? Veteran Sabers center Josh Norris is rumored to return from injury soon, giving Buffalo a boost. But his injury history leaves doubts about his ability to stay on the ice.

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So, Buffalo can’t settle for just a competitive game against any opponent. There is real and growing pressure on the Sabres, and every loss they suffer is another nail in the coffin for coach Lindy Ruff and general manager Kevyn Adams. And each loss is another step toward extending Buffalo’s Stanley Cup playoff drought to 15 years.

The next part of the Sabres’ schedule is particularly daunting, as they take on the New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets (twice) and Philadelphia Flyers. All of these teams have had solid success this season, so Buffalo will have a tough time climbing the Atlantic standings.

Despite the Sabres’ rise, Buffalo faces a long road back to relevance The Sabres’ playoff drought appears to extend for another year. But Sabers fans expect more from the team than that. No more promises. Each game now dictates their fight for survival.

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Buffalo’s poor start to the season is now weighing on the Sabres. Whatever they do, they seem stuck at the bottom of the Atlantic.

The only way to climb out of their current spot in the standings is a winning streak – and so far this season, Buffalo hasn’t shown they can do that.

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