The Buffalo Sabres have made phenomenal strides in 2021-22, but they were still predictably losing games to the NHL’s best teams.
The Buffalo Sabres have a lot to be proud of. However, they still are not a perfect team by any stretch. Flash back to February, when I wrote an article entitled where the Buffalo Sabres needed to improve after the All-Star break. In that article, I listed the Sabres needed to improve in:
- Creating scoring opportunities
- Penalty kill and power play
- Health
Fortunately, the Sabres at least nominally improved in all three categories in March and April 2022. They especially got healthier following the All-Star break. And in doing so, they’re played much more competitive hockey.
The Buffalo Sabres were better, but they still have a lot of room for improvement
While the Sabres still struggled at times with the penalty kill, their success on the power play skyrocketed. Sure, it’s still a work-in-progress, but they were far better than before the All-Star break in the category.
They also grew more consistent with creating scoring opportunities. At times, opponents still threatened to double the Sabres shots on goal. But overall, the arrow pointed north.
Key aims for 2022-23
In June 2022, the Sabres have three new challenges. For the 2022-23 season, they must:
- Stay healthy
- Keep up the consistency on the power play
- Get even more consistent in creating scoring opportunities
But they’re on the right track, and today’s slideshow will not cover the team’s recent improvement. Instead, it’s time to look at the above improvements the Sabres can gear their offseason transactions toward, so when October 2022 rolls around, they will be slowly but surely turning a few more weaknesses into strengths.
Some of these areas of improvement are places the Sabres already started to improve in March and April. But they’re just now turning the corner in them. Keep reading for a more in-depth look.