Buffalo Sabres: Casey Mittelstadt finally proved his value on Friday
Despite a weaker lineup, Buffalo Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt was impressive in one major statistical category against Pittsburgh.
I’ve said it about a million times dating back to last season: The Buffalo Sabres cannot win faceoffs. On Friday night during a 7-1 “meltdown,” and I use that term lightly considering the Sabres lineup, against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Casey Mittelstadt played an encouraging game when it came to winning faceoffs.
His overall tally involved 10 faceoff wins and just three losses, good for a 77% faceoff win percentage. For a player who struggled winning faceoffs over his entire career, Mittelstadt was a pleasant surprise in the faceoff circle.
Sure, it was a preseason game, but while the Sabres went with a lesser experienced lineup, the Penguins had their fair share of NHL regulars on the ice. I’m not implying Mittelstadt will keep this up, but it was refreshing to see someone, at least for a night, dominate in the faceoff category.
Mittelstadt’s faceoff wins are encouraging for the Buffalo Sabres
Arguably the most star-crossed former first round draft pick on the Sabres at the moment, Mittelstadt’s 2022-23 season has at least started off somewhat promising. And while I’m still projecting pedestrian stats for the center, if Mittelstadt gains some consistency in the faceoff circle, he can at least have found a niche in Buffalo. At least for this, and possibly next season.
Mittelstadt wasn’t the only member of the Sabres to see a positive return in the faceoff category; Dylan Cozens also saw a promising performance, winning 53% of his battles. It would be great to see the duo keep up their dominance into the regular season, as more faceoff wins only means more puck possession for the Sabres.
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And that can translate into a few more shots on goal in the regular season, hopefully translating to more goals scored, and ultimately, more wins. We will see if Mittelstadt and Cozens can continue performing well in the faceoff circle during the season.
(Statistics provided by Sabres.com)