First Look: Buffalo Sabres
By
Caleigh Burchfield
Between injuries and rescheduled games, the Sabres have had their share of bad luck this year. But with some of the best special teams units in the league and some point-producing players, the struggling team presents more of a challenge than their record may suggest.
Currently standing last in the East Division with 16 points, the Sabres are 6-14-4 so far on the season. Most recently, Buffalo fell to the Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout, 5-4, on Tuesday night.
After a decent start to the year (4-4-2), the team had to take a two-week COVID-related pause in February. Since then, they've been having trouble, going 0-4-1 in their last five.
Head coach Ralph Krueger and a handful of players have mentioned that one of the team's biggest issues right now is their mental game, particularly when it comes to responding to a deficit.
In terms of physical injuries, the latest for the Sabres is team captain Jack Eichel, with Kruger announcing yesterday he would be out for least a week with an upper-body injury. Eichel leads the team with 16 assists in 21 games, but has just two goals. Without his playmaking abilities and leadership, Buffalo will have to look to other players to step up while they await his return.
Here is their projected lineup…
Taylor Hall-Dylan Cozens-Sam Reinhart
Victor Olofsson-Eric Staal-Riley Sheahan
Jeff Skinner-Curtis Lazar-Casey Mittelstadt
Tobias Rieder-Cody Eakin-Kyle Okposo
Matt Irwin-Rasmus Ristolainen
Rasmus Dahlin-Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson-Brandon Montour
Carter Hutton
Jonas Johansson
FORWARDS:With the absence of Eichel, the Sabres forward group has had to make some considerable adjustments, especially where their bottom-six is concerned.
Victor Olofsson scored 20 goals in 54 games last season en route to being named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team. He is currently second on the team with seven goals and 18 points. In Tuesday's game, Olofsson played alongside Eric Staal and Riley Sheahan on the team's top line.
However, in practices since the loss, the trio has been skating as the team's second line. Taylor Hall, Dylan Cozens and Sam Reinhart - who put up two goals for Buffalo on Tuesday - have been leading the forward group. Hall assisted on both of Reinhart's goals.
Hall and Cozens often play on either side of Eichel, but Cozens has been centering the top line in Eichel's absence. It will be a lot of responsibility for the 20-year-old rookie, who was drafted seventh overall by the Sabres in 2019, but it helps he has two solid wingers. Hall is a former NHL MVP who signed with Buffalo in the summer as a free agent, while Reinhart leads the team in goals (11) and points (19).
While the top-six has been producing well, the Sabres' bottom six has been struggling stat-wise. Youngster Casey Mittelstadt, who has one goal, three assists and four points across nine games this season, has been a silver lining. He is improving with every game and has a competitive edge that Krueger has praised him for.
DEFENSE:The Sabres are currently giving up an average of 3.25 goals per game, one of the highest in the league. And similar to the offense, the defense are also without their leader after a season-ending injury for alternate captain Jake McCabe last month.
But luckily for the Sabres, they have an emerging star in Rasmus Dahlin, the first-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. Having been with Buffalo ever since, he's now in his third NHL season and leads the team's defensemen in points (11) and assists (10). Playing alongside Dahlin on the second pairing is Henri Jokiharju, who is also in his third year in the league.
Anchoring Buffalo's top pairing is Matt Irwin and Rasmus Ristolainen, who are playing in their tenth and ninth seasons, respectively. Ristolainen, drafted eighth overall by Buffalo in 2013, has spent all nine of those campaigns with the Sabres.
Leading the team in blocked shots is Brandon Montour, a member of the team's third pairing. He has 30 in that category, as well as 23 hits and five points.
GOALTENDING: Buffalo has been steadily alternating their goaltenders throughout the season, with Carter Hutton and Jonas Johansson spending the most time in net thus far.
Hutton, in his ninth NHL season and third with the Sabres, has played in nine games this year -posting a .883 save percentage and a 3.40 goals against average.
Despite his stats, he's made some key saves for the Buffalo this year, keeping his team in the game in some of his recent starts. Hutton last played on Saturday afternoon against the New York Islanders. He finished with 29 saves, but New York ultimately won 5-2.
Johansson, ten years younger than veteran Hutton and a product of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, is in his rookie season. He's recorded four starts so far this year and started in the Sabres' two most recent games. His numbers resemble Hutton's: a 3.87 goals against average and a .890 save percentage.
Johansson played most recently for the Rochester Americans, taking part in the 2020 AHL All-Star Game before joining the Sabres. He finished the 2019-20 season ranked sixth in the AHL in goals against (2.28) and seventh in save percentage (.921).
SPECIAL TEAMS:The Sabres have one of the best power plays in the league, ranking fifth and converting on 28.8% of their man-up opportunities. So far, Buffalo has scored 19 power-play goals this year.
Their first power-play unit is Reinhart, Cozens, Hall, Dahlin and Olofsson, and their second is Kyle Okposo, Eric Staal, Mittelstadt, Jeff Skinner, Ristolainen.
Their penalty kill is also solid, standing 12th in the league, killing 81.8% of their penalties.
"On both sides of the puck on their special teams, they're really strong," Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said. "When you look at their power play, they just have a lot of dangerous threats. They have Olofsson on that back side that's really dangerous. They have Taylor Hall off that flank, who can really shoot the puck. They've got Dahlin up top, that's pretty good at quarterback and up top, so they've got a dynamic power play and their penalty kill has been good for them. So special teams is going to be an important aspect of the game."
