3 ways the Buffalo Sabres can end the losing streak against Toronto
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres have an opportunity to end their seven-game skid against their biggest rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Buffalo Sabres haven’t just been one of the NHL’s worst teams over the past two weeks from a win/loss standpoint; they have also been statistically bad. And playing overall bad hockey is going to lead to migraine-inducing performances we have become accustomed to.
The good news? The Sabres issues can be corrected, and if they start trending north once more, you may see them break the streak tonight. Here are three issues the Sabres must correct to break the losing streak tonight against Toronto.
1 – Play better defense
The Buffalo Sabres losing streak began back on November 4th against the Carolina Hurricanes, and in that span, they have allowed 96 breakaway and odd-man rushes. Break that down, and you get 13.71 per game.
While this number shouldn’t fall entirely on the defensive rotation’s shoulders given lack of puck control in the offensive zone, the defense has been caught out of position far more than one too many times. And it has led to easy breakaways and odd-man rushes from opponents.
What’s encouraging about this? Most of the team’s defensive rotation is intact once more, with Mattias Samuelsson having an outside chance to play tonight.
2 – Find your playmakers
Far too often, the Sabres have been taking predictable and unnecessary shots, almost as though they’re trying to make their SOG number look pretty. And while they have won more often than not when their SOG hits the 40-plus mark, they need to start taking smarter shots.
One way is to locate their players who are building a reputation with finding the back of the net. Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Victor Olofsson should be getting plenty of chances. Not that they should be the only ones taking shots, but the aforementioned players have proven time and again, especially Tage, that they can keep the team in tough games.
3 – Stay out of the box
The Maple Leafs have struggled in the scoring department, with just 2.89 goals per game. However, their power play, 25.42%, is one of the league’s best. The Sabres need to play a clean game against Toronto if they want to win this one, given their opponent’s struggles to get things going offensively at even strength.
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Want more fun? The Leafs shooting percentage at 5 on 5 is a measly 6.8%, tied for the sixth-worst in the league with the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Buffalo Sabres do nothing else mentioned in this article except keep five men on the ice, their chances of winning dramatically increase.
Article Source: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen wants to ‘again’ prove he can help the Sabres in goal by Lance Lysowski
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
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