NHL EDGE stats for Buffalo Sabres

As part of NHL.com's 32 in 32 series, we will identify key EDGE stats for each team to preview the 2024-25 season. Today, we look at the impact of three advanced metrics for the Buffalo Sabres:

1. Forward Tage Thompson ranked second among NHL forwards in 90-plus mile per hour shots (46) last season behind Alex Ovechkin (68) of the Washington Capitals. Thompson also had the top shooting speed (102.08 mph) among forwards and fifth-highest mark in the entire League.

Thompson was limited to 71 of Buffalo’s 82 games because of injuries and took a huge step back in goals (29), assists (27) and points (56) compared to his breakout 2022-23 season (NHL career-high 47 goals, 47 assists, 94 points). But Thompson returned to his elite form down the stretch (21 points in final 18 games) and still brings a rare combination of size (6-foot-6) and a hard shot for a center.

2. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin ranked second in the NHL in total skating distance (299.29 miles), narrowly behind Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon (300.15). Dahlin also had the top skating game (4.91 miles) in the entire League last season.

The No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft has never played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with Buffalo’s postseason drought now at 13 seasons (longest in League). But Dahlin has shown he can be a huge part of the solution; he ranked fifth in the NHL in average ice time (25:25 per game) last season and is among the top five NHL defensemen in goals (35; fourth) and shots on goal (439; third) over the past two seasons combined.

Dahlin also had more help down the stretch of last season when he was paired with NHL Trade Deadline acquisition Bowen Byram, who was tied for fifth among defensemen in midrange goals (seven) -- giving the Sabres a stronger outlook at the position for 2024-25.

3. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen ranked seventh in the NHL in high-danger save percentage (.830) last season.

One of the breakout goalies of last season, Luukkonen, 25, outperformed touted rookie Devon Levi, 22, and can help guide his younger teammate along to eventually give Buffalo one of the better tandems in the NHL. Luukkonen was tied for 11th in games played (54) last season but only tied for 26th in goals for average (2.88; minimum 30 games) – and the lack of consistent goal support was a big reason Buffalo did not make the playoffs.

But having Byram on the roster for a full season and forwards Thompson and Jack Quinn healthy would go a long way in rewarding Luukkonen for his workhorse ability and clutch stops in high-danger areas.

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