So the Sabres hit the holiday break eight points out of a wild-card slot as Washington roared into the break on a 9-1 burst, winning two games after Buffalo was left idle by the postponement. But the Sabres still have a lot on their side.
Buffalo is eight points behind the Capitals – but with four games in hand. The Sabres are nine points behind the Rangers, with three games in hand, and six points behind the Islanders, also with three games in hand.
In the Atlantic Division, they're seven points behind Tampa and games are even, so they lost a chance Friday to cut that deficit to five. The Sabres are tied in points in Florida but with three games in hand. The Panthers, who won the Presidents Trophy last year, look to be the one Atlantic team that is going to take a big fall now that it appears Boston, Toronto and Tampa Bay will be the likely 1-2-3 teams.
The team to keep an eye on in the East is New Jersey. The flying Lindy Ruffs still have 46 points but they are sinking, going 3-6-2 in December and with none of the wins over current playoff teams. And their first three games after Christmas are against Boston, Pittsburgh and Carolina.
The Sabres have won four straight and are 9-3-2 in their last 14. The next two games are against Columbus and Detroit before a tough road trip to Ottawa, Boston and Washington.
https://buffalonews.com/sports/columns/inside-the-nhl-even-a-two-game-expansion-of-the-schedule-would-help-fix-some/article_f14a8a08-839b-11ed-a428-2bc0aa947e1c.html