The Buffalo Sabres currently sit at 9-12-0 after the first quarter of what has been an up and down 2022-23 season, and there is room for improvement.
The Buffalo Sabres have the league’s youngest hockey team, but one that is hanging in there following the 2022-23 season’s first quarter. Sure, they have had injuries and inconsistency to deal with, but this group, when healthy, has also shown they can beat some of the league’s better teams. Something that dates back to last season.
So what’s in store for the second quarter of the season? Here are three bold, but realistic predictions.
1 – Rasmus Dahlin scores 25
The First Star for the season’s opening quarter, Dahlin has either scored or is helping to create opportunities for teammates to score. He has 23 points in 20 contests, having missed one game with an upper-body injury.
So let’s assume that he continues playing at a high-octane level in the second quarter and puts up two more points than he did in the first. It would give Dahlin 48 on the season, putting him within five of his current career high of 53.
2 – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen hits a save percentage of 0.920
Luukkonen has been the Sabres most mysterious case. He has excelled at times in the NHL, but stagnated when in Rochester. However, one reason behind his up and down performances with the Amerks stems from playing behind ECHL-level defensemen thanks to the rash of injuries the Buffalo Sabres experienced in the rotation.
Playing behind a now-healthy group in Buffalo, look for Luukkonen to take full advantage. And hitting the 0,920 mark is not so farfetched, given his 0.917 percentage and 2.74 GAA when he played last season.
3 – Dylan Cozens scores eight goals
Few forwards on the Buffalo Sabres improved more than Cozens, who has 15 points on the season. Of those points, five found the back of the net, and that number will increase to eight by the season’s halfway mark.
This will give the Workhorse from Whitehorse 13 goals on the year, which will match his career-high in the category. Let’s get even bolder and project Cozens also hits the 30-point mark, and to snag a shooting percentage in the double digits.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
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