The Buffalo Sabres have a few players to keep an eye on in this week’s road trip. Here are two names I’m burning on plus one budding trio.
The Buffalo Sabres played well in their first two games, scoring a big win against the Ottawa Senators before losing in a nailbiter to the Florida Panthers. This week marks the first of many road trips for the Blue and Gold, and they are looking to further prove they are a much-improved team in the early stages of the season.
Several players caught my eye last week for varying reasons. And below, you will meet two players who I’ll be watching more closely and one trio who will get their first extended look at a four-game road trip to the west. Let’s meet them.
1 – Rasmus Dahlin
Dahlin appears to have picked up where he left off last season, scoring three points, two goals, and an assist. But he’s also shown off his endurance at 25:03 of average time on ice. Defensively, he has three blocks, two hits, and a takeaway, once again displaying his two-way prowess.
The only real flaw is that he has had a tendency to give the puck away, something he has struggled with throughout his career. Overall, I’m expecting a huge outing from Dahlin in all four games, whether it involves more scoring contributions, playing good defense, or just being in the right place at the right time.
2 – Tage Thompson
Thompson signed his seven-year contract extension, then disappeared for a pair of games. Okay, that’s way overboard, as in reality, even the best players in the NHL only have a handful of outstanding scoring performances, and roughly 25-30 solid games per season points-wise on top of that.
However, when Tage is on the ice, the Buffalo Sabres seem to be stuck in the defensive zone, which is something that needs to change this week. I’m looking for Tage and his linemates to get more aggressive on the road trip and create opportunities for themselves – yes, I’m looking at you, Jeff Skinner, Victor Olofsson (presumably).
I don’t expect this slump, if you can call it that, to last. Tage will get more creative this week and you should see some production in the points column.
3 – Buffalo Sabres rookies
I decided to clump the the trio of Owen Power, J.J. Peterka, and Jack Quinn together since this will be their first extended road trip out west. I am interested in seeing if Power can bounce back from some severely mediocre performances in the first two games and likewise, I am further compelled to watch Peterka, and whether he can keep up his on-ice dominance.
Quinn is the wild card. While I’ve heard some gripe about his lack of offensive performance with zero shots on goal and just one shot attempted, Quinn has looked good on defense. So far, he has a takeaway and three hits in over just 10:29 of average time on ice.
The Buffalo Sabres goaltenders have a 100% save percentage when Quinn is on the ice, and the Sabres seem to generate more scoring chances during his shifts. Through those two games, Quinn’s Fenwick For% is 52.6% at even strength, showing further evidence of his efficacy.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)