The Buffalo Sabres struggled all season with the power play and penalty kill. However recently, they have become the team’s strong suits.
The Buffalo Sabres struggled all season with their power play, but in April 2022, it picked up immensely. In last night’s contest against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Sabres converted two out of four power play opportunities.
Since April 3rd, they converted eight out of 24, good for a 33% conversion percentage. And as a result, the Sabres continued to produce more goals on average than they have so far in this aging season.
Following their win against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Sabres averaged 2.77 goals per game in 77 contests. Throughout their first nine games in April, they averaged 3.11, and much of it has to do with the improved power play.
Buffalo Sabres power play and penalty kill output contributed to improved record
In reality, the Sabres power play started showing flashes of improvement in March 2022. But it was not as consistent as it had become in April.
Just how much as their power play picked up? Through 77 games, the Sabres still rank just 18th in the league with a 21.3% conversion percentage. Even with its drastic improvement in April.
As their power play continues to improve, their penalty kill unit has also been better. Since April 3rd, the Sabres penalty kill boasts a 78.2% success rate, a two-percent increase over their seasonal average of 75.6.
Since March 2nd, the Sabres are 12-8-3 (27 points), and you can credit drastic improvements to both the power play and penalty kill for their return to respectability – at least for the final two months of the season. Now the question looms: Will the Sabres remain consistent with both units?
Hopefully, they will enjoy repeat consistent performances for the last five games of the season. And ideally, they will carry that momentum over into October 2022 when expectations for the Sabres will be substantially higher.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)