Sabres to open shortened season at home with games against Washington

Ralph Krueger’s second season as coach of the Sabres will commence Thursday, Jan. 14, when Buffalo hosts the Washington Capitals, the National Hockey League announced Wednesday. The two teams will also play the following night before the Sabres embark on the first of eight multi-game road trips this season.

Game times are expected to be announced next week.

The Sabres’ final home game will be May 4 against the New York Islanders – the second game of a back-to-back -- and they will finish the regular season at Pittsburgh on May 8.

With Covid-19 preventing travel between Canada and the United States, the NHL shifted to strictly intradivisional play this season. The Sabres were placed in the temporarily aligned East Division, which will also feature the Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers and Capitals. At this point, it's uncertain if the seven Canadian teams will be able to play in their home arenas at the start of the season.

The top four teams in each division will make the playoffs, which are tentatively scheduled to begin May 11. The NHL announced July 9 as tentatively the last possible date to award the Stanley Cup.

The Sabres will play each of their divisional opponents eight times, preventing Jack Eichel and company from reigniting their rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who will compete in an all-Canadian Division.

In another effort to limit travel, the NHL structured each team’s schedule to include back-to-backs and as many as three consecutive games against the same team. The Sabres have eight such back-to-backs, including one against the Capitals to open the season, and are scheduled to play the Devils for three consecutive games from April 6-9 with one game in Buffalo and two in New Jersey.

The Sabres’ first encounter with the NHL’s enhanced safety protocols on the road – including a 50-person traveling party and no contact with the general public – will occur in Philadelphia with games against the Flyers on Jan. 18 and 19.

There are no more than four consecutive games at home or on the road.

The Sabres’ first game against Alexis Lafreniere, the most recent first overall draft pick, is expected to occur in New York when they play the Rangers on Jan. 26.

Lindy Ruff, now head coach of the Devils, will make his return to Buffalo with back-to-back games against the Sabres on Jan. 30-31. Ruff’s coaching staff in New Jersey includes former Rochester Americans coach Chris Taylor. This will also be Sabres winger Taylor Hall’s first game against his former team, whom he led to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a Hart Trophy season in 2017-18, since his trade to the Arizona Coyotes last December.

If the Bills reach the Super Bowl, the Sabres will be forced to watch from a hotel in Boston, as the team has Saturday and Monday games against the Bruins. Though that road trip is only four games, it spans seven days and two cities, beginning with matchups against the Islanders.

Handling the challenge of a truncated schedule might be more difficult than the opponents, as the Sabres play the following number of games each month: January (10 in 18 days), February (12), March (14), April (15) and May (5).

Additionally, 14 of the Sabres' first 18 games are against Washington, Philadelphia, the Islanders and Boston.

General Manager Kevyn Adams will face a significant test with the trade deadline April 12 at 3 p.m. The Sabres’ final game prior to the deadline is on the road against Philadelphia on April 11, and they play two nights later at Washington.

The Sabres’ first series against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins will occur March 11 and 13, and the Bruins’ first trip to Buffalo is scheduled for March 18.

Prior to realignment, the Sabres would have likely been considered as a fringe playoff team in the old Atlantic Division. However, they’ve now been placed with a few potential Stanley Cup contenders and the busy schedule amid a pandemic could be taxing on a young team.

The Sabres and the six other non-playoff teams will open training camp Dec. 31, and there won’t be preseason games. Teams also won’t benefit from a bye week or all-star break. It’s a sprint to be among the 16 to qualify for the playoffs.

The NHL’s enhanced protocols and transition rules include each team having a four-to-six player taxi squad that will practice and travel to games. These players can be used as reinforcements in the event of a positive Covid-19 test.

The identity of a player who tests positive for Covid-19 will be revealed during the season, but only leaguewide testing data will be released in training camp. One significant change fans will notice during games is coaches must wear masks on the bench.

Despite the unusual start time to the season, there is sure to be significant hype around the Sabres following the acquisition of Hall, a former Hart Trophy winner, and the franchise’s return to royal blue. Yet, for all the excitement generated during a nearly 10-month offseason, fans won’t be able to attend Sabres games when the unprecedented season begins.