The bad
Capitalizing on chances
The Sabres are a top-10 team in terms of their shots on goal per game. They average 32.2 shots on goal each game, which is the seventh most in the NHL. You would think that with so many shots on net that the Sabres would score a decent amount of goals too. But you’d be wrong.
Although they average the seventh most shots on net per game, they only score 2.8 goals per game on average, 20th in the league. More shots do not correlate to more goals for Buffalo so far this season.
This seems like it could be a classic case of quantity over quality, which is not working. The Sabres shooters should look to be a little more patient and capitalize on their offensive zone time. They have the talent that if they get a quality look, they will convert more times than not.
Ralph Krueger vs. Jeff Skinner
The line combinations that head coach Ralph Krueger has been putting on the ice seem to be different every game. And to be honest, I still don’t think that the best line combos have been found yet.
The biggest problem has been the use of Jeff Skinner. The Sabres signed Jeff Skinner to a massive contract two offseasons ago, but Ralph Krueger seems to refuse to play him where he should be played. Skinner’s production has been down this season so far, but look at his linemates. It will be difficult for anyone of Skinner’s playing style to produce with linemates such as Curtis Lazar and Riley Sheahan.
We have seen what Skinner is capable of when paired up with the Sabres’ most talented skaters. In Skinner’s first year in Buffalo, he was featured on the top line with Jack Eichel and had 40 goals and 63 points. That should be all the proof Ralph Krueger needs to see to bump Skinner into a top-six forward spot, but he still seems to refuse to do so.