Buffalo Sabres: It’s time to put Casey Mittelstadt in the press box
The Buffalo Sabres need to get Casey Mittelstadt out of the lineup, that much is certain following his lack of performance on Tuesday.
When you play on the first line and your team wins 6-0, you’d think you’d have contributed something to your team’s blowout victory. For Buffalo Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt, this wasn’t the case. In 20 shifts and 18:50 of ice time, the former first round pick had zero shots on goal, zero hits, zero blocks, and zero assists. He did win six out of 10 faceoffs, and nothing more.
Mittelstadt was just one of two Sabres not to log a shot on goal in last night’s win versus the Los Angeles Kings, with the other being Jack Quinn. But hey, at least Quinn had an assist. At this point, it’s better for head coach Don Granato to go exploring a bit and see if he can find a better replacement when someone on the first line goes down with an injury or a suspension. Because Mittelstadt is not a good fit.
Jost, Krebs, Oloffson could make better fits on the Buffalo Sabres top line
Victor Olofsson has seen time on the first line plenty of times since the final two weeks of the 2021-22 season. And while he has been marginal this year, he has at least shown he can score, with 13 goals so far in 2022-23.
Tyson Jost doesn’t score often, but he is a good passer and even better along the boards. He can at least create an opportunity for the other two forwards – Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch in this particular scenario.
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Then there is Peyton Krebs, who has come on strong after I listed him as one of three Sabres that needed to improve in December. Krebs has three goals in the previous four contests, and he has also shown a physical edge to his game. Despite just six points in 23 games overall, the 21-year-old looks ready to take the next step.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
Article Source: Observations: Sabres ace latest test, score six goals in the third period in 6-0 win by Lance Lysowski
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