There’s two ways of looking at tonight’s contest between the Buffalo Sabres and the visiting Arizona Coyotes.
On paper, and to most NHL fans beyond the two teams’ respective cities, it’s the toilet bowl of the 2014-2015 NHL season—a matchup between the bottom two teams in the league, who are a combined 6-29-5 in their last forty games.
Or, for the Sabres’ and Coyotes’ faithful who—as the fans have put it throughout this season—have “embraced the tank”, tonight’s game could be pivotal toward deciding which club finishes dead last in the NHL by the end of the season and is guaranteed one of the two heralded prospects in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.
For the majority of this season, Buffalo seemed destined to claim dubious honor, but Arizona has plummeted in the standings over the last several weeks by putting on a showcase of sheer futility. Dating back to February 10th, the Coyotes are 2-17-1. They’ve allowed four or more goals in ten different games over that stretch. They haven’t won in regulation since February 3rd.
The gap between both clubs is now a mere five points, Buffalo with 47, and Arizona with 52. Between tonight’s contest, and the rematch in Arizona next Monday the 30th, it’s a potential 4-point swing in the standings.
While the Sabres come into tonight’s contest on a three game slide, the Coyotes come in off a surprising win. Arizona topped the sluggish Detroit Red Wings on the road Tuesday night with a 5-4 overtime victory that gave them their first win in 9 games. It was also the most goals they’ve scored in one game since January 3rd, where they defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-3.
To compare, Buffalo has scored five goals in their last four games. The Sabres could potentially see their roster bolstered with the returns of defenseman Zach Bogosian and forward Patrick Kaleta, but neither are guaranteed to take to the ice tonight.
This evening’s puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST from First Niagara Center. Fans can catch the action on MSG or listen in through WGR 550.