Josh Allen is an excellent quarterback. One would consider him the anti-Buffalo Sabres, the pinnacle of domination and the eventual NFL MVP. But he has one problem: He can't get past Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs.
That's the feeling Sabres fans have had since 2010-11, for they've seen their hockey team struggle to get past the regular season. In fact, the Sabres and the Stanley Cup playoffs have become a prolific rivalry equal to Mahomes against Allen.
What's worse, they've had players such as Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and Linus Ullmark, all of which turned into reputable superstars in the NHL. How can a franchise squander all this talent (and more!), leaving them as one of the league's worst? Terry Pegula is lucky he has Josh Allen under center. Otherwise, he'd be on par with Dan Snyder as the worst owner of all-time.
The Sabres won't have it any easier on Saturday, though. They're facing the best team in the NHL percentage-wise (.724) in the Vegas Golden Knights. Fans will have their eyes on former "Misfit" Alex Tuch, who's on the trading block. Could a reunion be in the works for the winger? Believe it or not, he wouldn't be a rental, which would entice Kelly McCrimmon.
But enough about the trade rumors! That's for another day before March. There's a game to be played on Saturday between the Pacific Division leaders and the Atlantic Division cellar dwellers. Eichel and Tuch face off against their former respective team, hoping for some cold dishes of revenge. Who will win between the Golden Knights and... the Sabres?
Breaking down the Vegas Golden Knights and Buffalo Sabres
Like the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, the Buffalo Sabres are awful at goaltending. The Sabres have a team GAA of 3.41, tied for 27th in the NHL. They're also 27th in the league in team save percentage with .891. They're so bad that they wouldn't stop Tilda Swinton with sickle-cell anemia from scoring a goal.
Therefore, the strategy is simple: Shoot a ton of pucks at the net. Luckily, the Vegas Golden Knights have the sixth-most team shots on goal in the league with 1,156. It's like Pete DeBoer and his trusty power play merchant, Steve Spott, never left.
The Golden Knights, led by Jack Eichel (50 points), have the fourth-best scoring attack in the NHL (3.55 goals per game). That doesn't bode well for whoever starts in net for the Sabres. Get ready for plenty of shots and lots of Lil' Jon, buddy.
On paper, this looks like a Sabres team that should be equivalent to a glass cannon. Tage Thompson (18 goals, 33 points) is back to goal-scoring form, while Rasmus Dahlin (21 assists) continues to elevate his stock. That's led to the team tied for 14th in goals per game this season with 3.08.
However, the Golden Knights have found their groove defensively, closing gaps and constricting their opponents in the neutral zone. Overall, it's been a group effort from the blue line, who continues improving after a dismal start to the 2024-25 season. Therefore, this should be a game the Golden Knights win. How does a 6-2 victory for the home team sound? Hockey Mahomes (AKA Eichel) beats Buffalo once again.