Buffalo Sabres: 3 areas of improvement the team must focus on
By Sion Fawkes
Winning Face-offs
Cody Eakin was the best player on the Buffalo Sabres when it came to face-offs. Problem is, Eakin held little value everywhere else and it has been clear that he won’t return to the organization. Zemgus Girgensons was the team’s second-best player with face-offs, winning 49.8 of them, but with the youth movement in Buffalo, he figures to be a mainstay on the lower lines.
The rest of the forwards taking part in at least 100 face-offs won 45.6 percent or less. Dylan Cozens hit the 45.6 mark, while Casey Mittelstadt won just 44.7 percent. Jeff Skinner’s and Tage Thompson’s win percentages sat at just 40.6 and 40.3, respectively. Peyton Krebs won just 58 out of 165 face-offs, which equaled a 35.2 win percentage.
Clearly, the Sabres need help here. Kyle Okposo won 49.7 of his face-offs, but he only took part in 92 of them. While most of the above players are serviceable, the Sabres need to find someone to win face-offs consistently on the top scoring lines. If not, then either Cozens, Thompson, or Mittelstadt must get better in this category.