Buffalo Sabres: Is a big second half brewing for Casey Mittelstadt?
Don’t look now, but Buffalo Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt could be poised to enjoy a remarkable second half given his recent production.
While hard to believe, Casey Mittelstadt has done a lot of good over the past three games for the Buffalo Sabres. As the Blue and Gold struggled through their previous four games before defeating the Anaheim Ducks 7-3, Mittelstadt was one bright spot, sinking three points in those games.
In last night’s contest, Mittelstadt scored another goal and got back on the board late with another assist, giving him five points over the past three contests and 33 points in 53 games. His points total puts him on pace to score 51 if he keeps this up, shattering his previous career high of 25 points set in 2018-19.
But if Mittelstadt keeps up his most recent pace, 14 points over the past 18 contests, he can threaten or even supersede the 55-point mark. Impressive for a guy who looked so down and out earlier this season that at one point, head coach Don Granato cut his ice time to under 10 minutes a game.
Buffalo Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt could put up some sound numbers
Another bright spot is that Mittelstadt has been far more aggressive this season, logging 32 takeaways in those 53 contests. He’s also started taking better care of the puck. After starting the season with eight giveaways in three games, Mittelstadt has had just 15 in the previous 50.
Despite the goods, there is still a downside in this. Mittelstadt’s (-13) in the plus-minus is one of the worst on the team, showing that the Sabres allow far too many goals when he is on the ice. The statistic also indicates that Mittelstadt still needs to make improvements to his defensive play.
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While there is still work to be done defensively, Mittelstadt has recently been putting himself in position to score, or he’s been putting others in such a position. And while he’s still not playing the way we would expect from a former eighth overall pick, it’s safe to say that he is at least picking up his game more than he has at anytime over his previous previous five seasons.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
Article Source: Observations: Sabres back to ‘feeling’ like themselves, pull away for 7-3 win by Lance Lysowski
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