The Buffalo Sabres' schedule has been out for some time now, and it's always fun to examine the Sabres' opponents by breaking down their showdowns against each of the NHL's 31 other teams.
We here at THN.com's Sabres site have been analyzing Buffalo's opponents in the Eastern Conference, but today, we're shifting our focus to the first (alphabetical) team in the highly-competitive Central Division — the Chicago Blackhawks. who have struggled in the post-Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane Era. Will this season be any different for Chicago? And does that mean the Blackhawks will beat the Sabres in their games this year? Read on to find out.
BUFFALO SABRES VS. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
NEW BLACKHAWKS PLAYERS: Andre Burakovsky, LW; Sam Lafferty, C; Dominic Toninato, C
2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 2-0-0, Blackhawks 0-2-0
2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: November 21 at Buffalo; April 13 at Chicago
CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? To be blunt — the Sabres throttled the Blackhawks in their two games this past year, and there's no good reason Buffalo can't beat Chicago in their two games this coming season.
Chicago made some peripheral moves at forward this summer, landing Burakovsky from Seattle, acquiring Lafferty in a trade with the Sabres, and signing depth center Toninato away from the Winnipeg Jets. That's all they did, and given how terrible Chicago looked last year, Hawks management should've done much more than that to be a letigimate Stanley Cup playoff contender.
The Blackhawks also hired a new coach in former Detroit Red Wings bench boss Jeff Blashill, but even the greatest coach of all-time would have trouble turning this Hawks team into a world-beater. The Hawks almost certainly are going to miss the playoffs once again this season, and the Sabres would have to count losses to Chicago as huge disappointments.
The two games between Buffalo and the Blackhawks come at opposite ends of the year — the first game coming six weeks into the season, and the final game coming as the Sabres' second-last game of the year. By that point, the Hawks should be well out of the playoff race — and at that point, the Sabres could be in a massive battle for a playoff spot that could be decided by one or two standings points.
If Buffalo does lose out on a playoff berth by a couple of points or less, and they failed to take advantage of their games against the Blackhawks, Sabres fans could point to their lack of success against Chicago as a turning point in their season.
That said, it's not like the Hawks are totally bereft of talent. They've got budding star center Connor Bedard as their crown jewel, and their young talents on defense could take major competitive steps forward. If they can at least improve their goaltending, they might have enough talent to surprise some people.
Still, all things considered, there's no legitimate excuse for the Sabres to lose when they play the Blackhawks. Buffalo has more depth, in all areas, than Chicago has.
The NHL always has games where lesser teams beat better teams, so the Sabres have to be careful. But they've got two games against the Blackhawks to make count against their bottom line, and if they blow those games, their destiny may be out of their hands.
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