Blackhawks scoring outburst should continue at home vs. Sabres

On Saturday, the Chicago Blackhawks will face a team that has allowed a staggering 12 goals in their last two contests. And no, that’s not a typo, so the Hawks, a team that could be starting to mesh, might enjoy another strong scoring outburst when the Blue and Gold visit the Windy City. 

For Sabres fans, this one might be disheartening, as the Hawks may be on the verge of lapping them, or at least that’s the case in the season’s early stages. And for comparison’s sake, the Sabres remind me of those infamous start and park teams from back in the day in NASCAR, given how many teams have lapped them over the past 13 seasons. 

Anyway, back to the Blackhawks, who have outscored opponents nine to four through their first two wins this season. One came when the Hawks had little going their way in terms of opportunities, but they made the most of them and won. 

One common denominator between the Sabres and Oilers is that both teams haven’t looked good in the net lately, and Chicago just beat a team that hasn’t looked great defensively. So, there’s a good chance the Hawks will score four-plus goals once again and enjoy another win, albeit a hardfought one.

Blackhawks could build even more confidence vs. Sabres on Saturday

It wouldn’t surprise me if this is the game we see Connor Bedard snag another much-needed goal. He’s got just one on the season, even if he’s been a playmaker to start the 2024-25 campaign with six assists. 

Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Foligno could both extend their respective leads as the Blackhawks top scorers. Each has three goals apiece, and they’re currently boasting shooting percentages of 27.3 and 23.1, respectively. As bad as the Sabres have looked defensively and at goaltender over the last two games, both players should be looking at this one as a huge opportunity. 

Alright, so we just discussed three scorers and playmakers, but the Sabres are notorious for allowing struggling players to get back on track. Seriously, I couldn’t tell you how many ‘first NHL goals’ they allowed last season, or as I said, gave those going through a slump an opportunity to break out of it. 

Philipp Kurashev, who has just one goal and one total point in five games plus a minus-4 rating, is in need of a huge performance. Well, if there’s one team in the NHL that’s vulnerable enough to allow him to find the net again and perhaps log an assist or two, it’s the Sabres. 

Now, Buffalo has been scoring a lot lately as well, so I’m not saying that the Hawks will cruise to an easy win. But if they lose this one, it will only come because the Sabres managed to enjoy yet another high-scoring evening - they have 14 goals in their last three outings.