The Buffalo Sabres didn’t have a big problem with their offense last season, as they had the NHL’s 10th-best goals-for average at 3.23 goals-for per game. Defense was another story, as Buffalo posted the third-worst goals-against average at 3.50 goals-against per game.
But this season, the Sabres have improved their defense, albeit only to be the 10th-worst defense in the league at 3.17 goals-against per game. And the problem now is the fact that Buffalo’s goals-for average has slipped to 19th-overall in the league at 3.00 goals-for per game. And while you can’t pinpoint one Sabres player as the reason behind Buffalo’s drop in offensive production, an analysis of the team’s scoring leaders shows that there’s plenty of room for improvement.
Last season, the Sabres didn’t have a single player who averaged at least one point-per-game. Only four players had a per-game average of 0.82 or higher, and one of them – winger J.J. Peterka – was traded to the Utah Mammoth this past summer. Star Sabres Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson were the top Buffalo players in points-per-game production last season. And although the Sabres have thus far this season, Buffalo has just one player who’s appeared in all 12 Sabres games and is averaging at least a point-per-game – Tuch, at 12 points – this year.
Now, it’s been nice to see youngster Zach Benson posting eight points in the eight games he’s appeared in, but he’s also never produced more than 30 points in a single season. So though Benson is averaging more than four more minutes per game than he averaged last season, it’s unfair to expect Benson to be an 80-point player. It’s a long road for Benson and the rest of his Sabres teammates, and that’s why Sabres fans are hoping to see more improvement across the board for Buffalo’s core players.
Meanwhile, Thompson has 10 points in 12 games for a points-per-game average of .083 this season. It’s reasonable to presume that number will increase as the year unfolds. And after that, Dahlin and first-year Sabres winger Josh Doan each have nine points in 12 games. You expect more from Dahlin and slightly more from Doan.
But after that, the drop in production is significant. Defenseman Matias Samuelsson has six points in 10 games, while forwards Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn are averaging 0.58 points per game. No other full-timers are averaging better than 0.50 points-per-game.
Last year, the Sabres had nine full-timers who averaged between 0.51 points-per-game and 0.95 points-per-game. This year, they have…nine players who are averaging between 0.58 points-per-game and 1.00 points-per-game. There’s some familiarity going on comparing this year for Buffalo to last season for Buffalo.
Ultimately, this year’s overall drop in offense means Buffalo needs more from its players at the top, as well as from players currently near the bottom of the list of Sabres point-producers. For instance, you want to see more from defenseman Owen Power (five points in 11 games), Bowen Byram (five points in 12 games) and forward Jiri Kulich (five points in 12 games). And it would be nice if a young Sabres player grabbed the bull by the horns and took full advantage of the opportunities handed out by coach Lindy Ruff.
There’s no question Buffalo is asking all its players to achieve some form of improvement, be it on offense or defense. But you want to see at least a few Sabres players get well above the 1.00 points-per-game mark. Look at the Montreal Canadiens, for example; they’ve got two players (Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki) who have between 1.25-and-1.50 points-per-game averages right now. The Habs also have five players with an average of at least 0.75 points-per-game.
So you can see why the Canadiens have the league’s second-best offense at an average of 3.67 goals-for per-game. They’re getting big contributions from many players, and their offensive bottom line is terrific because of it.
That’s what the Sabres have to aspire to. They need everyone to do their utmost to generate goals, and they need them to do it on the regular. Otherwise, Buffalo’s defense will buckle under the strain that comes with a lack of offense. It’s that straightforward, and it’s why Sabres fans should monitor the team’s offense all season long.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
