What Is the Expectation for the Sabres in the Playoffs?
When the NHL season began in October, nobody expected the Buffalo Sabres to have the kind of season they did. They won 50 games, the third most in franchise history, won the Atlantic Division, and ended their 14-year playoff drought. View this post on Instagram Some believe making the playoffs is enough to call it a successful year for the team, but expectations should be way higher than just clinching a spot.
The Sabres have something special brewing, and the current expectations for the team should be to make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. The question is, why should the expectations be that high for a team that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2011? High-End Talent One of Buffalo’s biggest advantages heading into the postseason is its deep roster.
For starters, they are led by Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin , two of the top players in the league this season. Thompson reached 40 goals this season and led the Sabres with 272 shots on goal. Dahlin ended the year with 74 points, which is the 6th most among defensemen in the league, and is a candidate for the Norris Trophy, which is given to the best defenseman.
View this post on Instagram The talent doesn’t stop there. Players like Alex Tuch , Jason Zucker , and Mattias Samuelson have been huge parts of the team’s success, on the ice and in the locker room. One of the more surprising players this season has been Josh Doan , who was acquired in the offseason from the Utah Mammoth for JJ Peterka .
Doan is fifth in the team in points with 52, and third in goals with 25. A long discussion can be had about how deep this roster is, as every player has made significant contributions. This roster has the skill and talent to make a deep playoff run.
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