The Buffalo Sabres’ regular-season schedule is out, so we now have a picture of what their road ahead looks like as they attempt to make it back to the playoffs.The NHL’s move to an 84-game schedule means the Sabres will play every team in the Atlantic Division four times. The Sabres won the division in 2025-26, but it looks like one of the league’s strongest divisions on paper this season. So that title defense won’t be easy.Here are some quick thoughts on Buffalo’s schedule.How to win a Stanley Cup without superstarsHarman Dayal1. Byram returns early, Tuch returns lateBowen Byram and Alex Tuch were Buffalo’s two biggest departures this summer. Byram and Jordan Greenway were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks and will be in Buffalo for the Sabres’ home opener on Oct. 3. They get their homecoming out of the way early. And if the Sabres celebrate the division win, Byram and Greenway will get to be on hand for that.But Tuch, who joined the Washington Capitals, doesn’t come back to Buffalo until March 18. The Sabres have two trips to Washington in the first quarter of the schedule, though, so they’ll get to play against Tuch pretty early on.2. Late November and early December will be a testThe Sabres have what could be a grueling stretch from the middle of November through early December with 10 of 12 games on the road in a span of 25 days. They start with six straight games on the road in Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, Florida and Tampa. Then they come home for games against the Islanders and Penguins before embarking on a western swing with Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle.