After months of waiting, the Penguins are finally getting their shot at the Buffalo Sabres.
While the rest of the Eastern Division teams have had their crack at the lowly cellar dwellers, the Pens and Boston Bruins have not.
Now it’s time for the Penguins to make the most of the opportunity. Because everybody else sure has. The Sabres are an ugly 6-14-4 so far this year. And they’ve lost eight in a row.
How bad are they? Consider some of these numbers.
• The Sabres rank 30th in goals per game at 2.55.
• They give up the fourth-most goals per game at 3.25.
• Their goal differential of minus-24 is third from the bottom in front of only Ottawa (-38) and Detroit (-34).
Beyond that, Buffalo is going to be playing without star center Jack Eichel for at least a week. He’s going to be sidelined with what is believed to be some sort of neck injury. And fellow center Eric Staal is the subject of trade rumors with the Edmonton Oilers.
At least Buffalo is good on special teams. Their power-play percentage of 28.8% is fifth best in hockey and the penalty kill is at 81.8%. But their 5-on-5 play has been horrid. Their PDO or SPSV% (shooting % + save percentage) during 5-on-5 play is 96.7, the worst in the NHL.
The Penguins get Buffalo eight times over their last 32 games. That means 16 points on the table to be grabbed. They shouldn’t settle for anything less than 15.
OK, maybe 14. Perhaps a couple of overtime losses along the way to get loser points. But no less than that.
Here’s the problem. With the Sabres having lost eight straight, they have to win one in regulation eventually … don’t they?
Sal Capaccio joins me from WGR in Buffalo for Thursday’s hockey podcast. He tries to answer that question. He also gets into why coaching is at the center of so many complaints from Sabres fans, what the goaltending has been like, and why people are wondering about Eichel’s future in Western New York.
We also talk some Buffalo Bills football, too. Is Buffalo a potential landing spot for Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree? Click the podcast and find out.
