Top 3 areas the Buffalo Sabres must improve for 2022

The Buffalo Sabres dominated for most of their first dress rehearsal game against the Carolina Hurricanes. But they still contain a few flaws. 

The Buffalo Sabres have enjoyed a remarkable preseason, and they currently sit at 4-1. No, the games don’t count, but over the previous two contests, we saw preseason lineups that more closely resemble what we will see on the ice come October 13th against the Ottawa Senators.

And we have also seen the Sabres continue to struggle in key departments. Last season, I griped about the team unable to create scoring opportunities for themselves. And while it looks as though they got that particular issue under control, there are three more major pitfalls they still need to fix that date back to last season.

1 – Faceoff woes continue

The Buffalo Sabres looked outstanding in last night’s win over the Carolina Hurricanes, but someone, anyone, must step up to win a few faceoffs. On Tuesday night, the Sabres combined for a 37.5% faceoff win percentage, which is just downright abysmal.

To their defense, they won 56% against Pittsburgh, and 50% against Columbus. But with last night’s roster better resembling the team’s opening day look, I’m expecting something closer to the number we saw last evening when the puck drops on the 13th.

If the Sabres struggle to win faceoffs in the regular season, they may find themselves behind the eight-ball in the puck possession realm.

2 – Power plays still haunt the Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres are 0 for 14 on power plays since last week’s win against the Philadelphia Flyers. While they had just one chance last night, the unit finished 0 for 6 against the Penguins. The Sabres remain a young team that needs to capitalize on every opportunity they get, and that means converting at least 25% of their power plays.

To their credit, they are killing penalties, having gone 7 for 7 over their last two contests including 4 for 4 against Carolina. If they can continue to bring the heat on the penalty kill, it can at least equalize their ineffective power play.

3 – Staying aggressive for 60 minutes

The Sabres jumped out of the gate as the more aggressive team early, but that aggression fizzled following the first period. The top pairing on the blue line, Mattias Samuelsson and Rasmus Dahlin, were hitting, Tage Thompson pitched in with a Gordie Howe Hat Trick, and the Sabres zoomed all over the ice.

The result? A 3-0 lead and complete control of the game. Then the Sabres let the Hurricanes slowly climb their way back into the contest, and they led 3-2 just two minutes into the third, threatening to lose this one in heartbreaking fashion.

Buffalo could easily wield a fast, aggressive identity for itself in 2022-23. But they need to do so without blowing big leads. This means playing the same hard-nosed style of hockey for 60 consecutive minutes.

(Statistics provided by Sabres.com)