Mother Nature is continuing to rack up victories in Western New York. The Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres game scheduled for tonight has been postponed until 7 p.m. Thursday. This is due to the ongoing winter weather and subsequent travel ban in the Buffalo area.
Due to the current weather impacting the greater Buffalo area, our game tonight against the Blackhawks has been rescheduled to tomorrow, Thursday, January 18 at 7 p.m.
Details about the game & ticket info: https://t.co/fvkz1Gyw59 pic.twitter.com/LFNyPqeGge
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) January 17, 2024
Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres Moved to Thursday
The weather has caused plenty of problems in Upstate New York since last week. A lake effect snow event caused the Buffalo Bills AFC Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to be moved to Monday afternoon. The Sabres played to a smaller crowd on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks. Buffalo’s Monday start time against the San Jose Sharks was pushed up to noon to accommodate the start of the NFL post-season game.
It’s not the first time the Sabres or the NHL has been dealing with snow issues. Chicago had already made it to town and that usually means the game goes forward. However, two feet of snow has fallen in the area and state and local officials have barred travel.
What it Means
The game was supposed to be played on national television in the United States on TNT and the Max streaming service. Network officials have already made the move to put the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers game onto the channel.
There will be some juggling with the schedule for both teams if the game does go off on Thursday. Chicago will now have to play back-to-back games with a Friday matchup at the United Center when they host the New York Islanders. Buffalo is off until Saturday when it hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning. This change in the schedule seems to be more of a problem for the Blackhawks. Chicago will have to get back into town early Friday for a game against the Islanders the same day. It’s normal in the schedule, but this change was unexpected.
Main photo by: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
