The Buffalo Sabres have had a remarkable run through 10 games in 2022-23. But when you look closer, they have been more than impressive.
When your favorite team has a winning record, it is always a reason to get excited for the rest of the season. But when you are the Buffalo Sabres enjoying solid outing after solid outing, there is even more reason to pay closer attention, since this team has not seen a playoff berth in 11 years.
And while we still got 72 solid games to go, the following eye-popping statistics should show you just how good this Buffalo Sabres team is. So let’s check out what has made the NHL’s youngest team so lethal offensively.
1 – 4.3 goals per game
Per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, the Sabres 4.3 goals per game ranks second in the league. And that’s saying something, considering that, when they went on their remarkable March and April 2022 run, they were scoring just 3.14 per game.
Amazing offensive numbers:
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) November 3, 2022
---#Sabres are second in the NHL in scoring at 4.3 goals per game.
---Their 20 third-period goals are the most by any team in any period.
---Their plus-13 differential in the third is best by any team in any period.
The Sabres biggest hitters have come in the form of Victor Olofsson (8 goals), Tage Thompson (7 goals), Alex Tuch (7 goals), and Rasmus Dahlin (6 goals). Each of the four players have been a pivotal part of this remarkable run and if they stay healthy, expect this output to continue trending north unless an opponent figures out a way to stop them.
2 – 20 goals in third period
As you can see in Harrington’s above Tweet, the Sabres have 20 goals in the third, which currently paces the NHL. In last night’s win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Sabres further showed they are a second-half team, having not scored a single goal until late in the second period.
They did the same thing in their big win over the Chicago Blackhawks last week. Down 3-1 midway through the third, the Sabres, thanks to Tage Thompson, battled back and forced an overtime period, where they ultimately won thanks to Victor Olofsson.
3 – +15 point differential
The Buffalo Sabres rank third in the NHL in point differential. Harrington’s Tweet also shows this, but he has them at 13 points – ESPN has them at 15, so we will go with that number. They are behind two unfortunate teams, however, in their division rival, the Boston Bruins and the pesky Jack Eichel and his Vegas Golden Knights.
But who cares? The Bruins are among the league’s most experienced teams and they finally seem to be getting healthier while the Knights, despite some cap turmoil, were also slated to contend. And so were about a dozen other teams, so this +15 differential is one solid and eye-popping statistic in the season’s early-going.
Want your voice heard? Join the Sabre Noise team!