The Buffalo Sabres may have another permanent piece on the roster in Peyton Krebs after a strong showing over the last three contests.
A few days back, I wrote that Peyton Krebs was one of three Buffalo Sabres that needed to improve in December 2022 along with Casey Mittelstadt and Jacob Bryson. And if Krebs continues to play the way he did on Wednesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, then he will indeed have improved enough to find a permanent spot in this lineup.
Last night, Krebs centered Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo, logged 14:12 of ice time, and notched his first goal of the season. And he did so on a takeaway against Patrik Laine near the blue line. Displaying remarkable puck control, Krebs fooled defenseman Gary Bayreuther on a deke, before scoring on a backhand in the slot. Here’s a replay of the goal in case you missed it.
Peyton Krebs gets his first of the season.
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) December 8, 2022
8-2 Sabres. pic.twitter.com/qlpnRXrwiA
Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs earning his way
After spending time sitting out a few games in a rotation that has also seen the likes of Jack Quinn, Rasmus Asplund, and Vinnie Hinostroza watch from the press box, Krebs’ game has noticeably improved, especially in this past week. He’s trying nothing fancy, and instead has reverted back to the basics. And thus far, things appear to be working in his favor.
But Krebs isn’t out of the woods yet. He needs to show consistency in his game moving forward. And if he does that, the Buffalo Sabres will have yet another encouraging player aged 22 or younger on the up and up.
Pay close attention to Krebs this week, assuming he’s in the lineup for both Penguins games. But if I were to guess, my instincts say Krebs will most definitely be taking the ice in both contests. While it’s unclear of whether Krebs will become a star in this league, he, at the very least, appears to be morphing into a solid bottom six player.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
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