Why are the Buffalo Sabres playing so badly at home?
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres are 12-7-0 on the road and just 9-11-2 at home. So why can’t the Blue and Gold play well in front of their home crowd?
The Buffalo Sabres overall record at home and on the road tell only half the story, as you may look at the home record and say, “Yeah, they’re just 9 for 13, but the home record isn’t terrible.”
And you’re right. The Sabres could win a couple of home games and they’ll be back around 0.500 again at home. But here’s the catch, the Sabres are also:
- 7-3 at home when scoring first as opposed to 8-1 on the road.
- When opponents score first, they are just 2-8 at home and 4-6 on the road.
- 9-4 on the road when outshot by opponents and just 3-5-1 at home.
- When the Sabres lead after one, they are 7-0 on the road and 4-2 at home.
- 2-4-2 at home and 5-0 on the road when tied after one.
- 1-3-1 at home when tied after two and 2-1 on the road.
The only categories where they play better at home come when they trail after one and two periods. When trailing after one, they are 3-5 at home and 0-5 on the road. The Blue and Gold are also 2-8 at home and 0-6 on the road when trailing after two.
Pressure is the reason the Buffalo Sabres play so badly at home
You would think that a young team would feel pressure going on the road and playing against some of the league’s best, but it’s really just the opposite. The Buffalo Sabres have mentally put themselves under so much pressure to win over the fans, and to put on a good show for the fans, that it’s costing them games.
In a way, this is a good thing because it shows that this young team cares. But it’s one of those situations where they are just trying too hard. They are overthinking the small things, and that’s when trouble begins. Take it in the words of Don Granato:
"“I really think there’s more pressure on us at home because our guys care so much. They care about our fans, they care about our city … and it’s evident to me they put more pressure and it becomes negative pressure on themselves at home than they would on on the road.” – via Buffalo News."
On the road, the Sabres seem to take a nothing to lose approach, allowing them to go out and play their game. If they relax and develop the same mentality at the KeyBank Center, you will see those wins trickle in more.
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Until they figure this out, expect to see the struggles at home continue. The good news? As this team matures, those struggles will alleviate, and you will see a strong Buffalo Sabres team regardless of where they play.
(Data provided by Hockey-Reference)
Article Source: Observations: Sabres take the road again by pulling away from Predators by Mike Harrington
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