NHL Game Preview: Edmonton Oilers vs. Buffalo Sabres | 03/09/2024

Did you like Thursday night’s game? Me neither. You play well against one of the best teams in the league the game before and then play like garbage against one of the worst teams in the league the next game. We’ve heard that song and dance before. The Oilers went down 3-0 in the first period, two goals in half a minute hurt them bad. Cody Ceci thought there should’ve been an icing call to the Blue Jackets before the 2-0 goal was scored. He’s not wrong, but you also don’t stop skating. Keep moving your feet and playing until you hear the whistle. I remember him making a mistake like this last season, too. Just because you believe the refs may’ve messed up doesn’t mean you should. Then Warren Foegele turned the puck over like he was playing for the other team. He should’ve gotten an assist on the 3-0.

Edmonton tried to pull off one of those late-game comeback deals again, which they have undeniably been good at. They’re actually tied for the league lead in come-from-behind wins this season. As impressive a stat as that is, you can’t just keep relying on that for the rest of the year. In the Playoffs, teams shut everything down, and you’ll need a miracle to erase a huge deficit with no momentum going your way. It’s not impossible, but you don’t want to be in that position all the time.

With the Trade Deadline now passing, there is a new test for Edmonton to get a good rhythm heading into Round 1. This is a Playoff team, but they need to look good heading into the Playoffs and not just where they finish in the Standings. The keys to the game…

Pressure Is Off: In one of my keys to Thursday’s game, I mentioned that the players should not feel nervous on the ice with Deadline Day looming. Lo and behold, they were. It was noticeable in their play and in their mistakes. It’s not easy for players to hear speculation about them. This feels more like a key for the remainder of the season. They can just go out and do their thing again. This is where they are now; nobody is going anywhere, and they should just focus on winning here.

Growing Pains: Devon Levi is the goalie of the future in Buffalo. But goalies take longer to develop, and he may be experiencing the same sorts of young goalie problems that we’ve seen from Stuart Skinner at times. While Levi keeps looking to mature in his position and future expectations, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been solid in net for the Sabres with a .914 SV% and 2.44 GAA in 36 starts.

Down Year: Even if you didn’t expect the Sabres to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, a lot of fans expected them to still climb a bit higher in the standings and at least challenge for a Wild Card. Though they are in the league’s toughest division, their season is viewed as a disappointment. After having a 94 point season last year, their top centerman Tage Thompson is on pace for a 50 point drop off and is now on Buffalo’s injury list.