(Buffalo) The Montreal Canadiens’ next opponents at the Bell Center on Wednesday are going through very difficult times.
A week ago, after the Buffalo Sabers suffered back-to-back 3-1 losses coming back from their bye week, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin refused to consider that his team’s inconsistency would lead to the collapse of his team. . Rather, he felt the Sabers still had plenty of time ahead of them to reignite the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
“In my head, I don’t think like you guys,” said Dahlin, speaking to journalists, reminding in passing that there were still 31 games left in the regular schedule. We cannot focus on the big picture. Here, if we start doing this, then things will go wrong. »
A week later, at the dawn of a duel against the Habs, the Sabers’ (27-27-4) chances of participating in the playoffs seem even slimmer, especially after having shared the honors of their last four games at following a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday. The New York team, which is now 12 points from a playoff spot, can still hope to “make the cut”, but it is much more realistic to believe that it will be excluded from the spring dance for a 13e season in a row.
Only a sliver of hope remains of the high expectations the Sabers had in September, when general manager Kevyn Adams said his team’s window of opportunity was now open.
The team’s promising young core, which orchestrated a strong late-season comeback last April to finish just two points out of a playoff spot, crashed around midseason in 2023-24. The Sabers have only won two in a row on four occasions this season, and have yet to savor three victories in a row.
The Sabres’ inconsistency is more and more visible, from one game to the next. Last week, they crushed the Los Angeles Kings 7-0 before being shut out 4-0 by the Florida Panthers. In December, the Sabers were mauled 9-4 by the Columbus Blue Jackets, but they bounced back 48 hours later by humiliating the Toronto Maple Leafs 9-3.
The Sabers have mostly struggled at home, where they have a record of 12-16-1 overall, and 1-5 in their last six meetings. They have had a slow start to games, and have only finished the first period with a lead 11 times this season – the second worst team on the Bettman Tour in this regard.
Injuries had their role to play, of course, but they do not alone explain the Sabres’ setbacks. Several players admitted along the way that they were searching for an identity, and that they had difficulty dealing with the pressure of expectations.
“We played more freely, without restraint,” explained forward Dylan Cozens, about last season. Coming into this season, we knew our main goal was to reach the playoffs. And when we realized that we were not in a position to achieve our goal – which is currently the case – well the atmosphere (in the locker room) changes a little bit and we start to feel frustration. »
With The Canadian Press