After going 4-7-3 in December, things didn’t get much better for the Sabres in January.
The Sabres went 4-7-1, earning nine out of a possible 24 points, further hurting any playoff chances.
Buffalo scored more than three goals just once during January, a main reason for their struggles. Throughout the 13 games, the Sabres were only able to score 22 goals.
A brutal road trip against some of the league’s best home teams didn’t help the cause. The Sabres were outscored 25-12 on the seven game road trip, and only took four points out of a possible 14.
The two lone wins came in a shootout against New Jersey, which snapped the Sabres 12 game road losing streak, and in a 3-1 win over Montreal.
With every loss, Buffalo continued to fall further down in the standings and, at one point, found themselves sitting in 15th in the Eastern Conference.
The Sabres are nine points out of a playoff spot, and while it’s not impossible, it would take quite a turnaround. No team has ever made the playoffs when trailing by nine or more points at the All Star break.
On a positive note, Captain Jason Pominville and Luke Adam were selected to attend All Star weekend in Ottawa.
With a little more than two months to go in the season, fans are waiting for some kind of turnaround, one similar to that of last year’s.