The Buffalo Sabres had a successful 2022-23 season because they had players who could score. But that won’t be the case this year.
Last season, the Buffalo Sabres scored 296 goals, and oftentimes, it bailed them out of what would have otherwise been losses in years’ past. It’s clear that their high-octane approach played a key role in the team enjoying a 91-point season and coming just shy of a playoff berth.
In 2023-24, we know the Blue and Gold will score, and they will score often. But as 2022-23 proved, it’s not easy to make the playoffs when scoring was, for the most part, the team’s only strength. Sure, scoring more goals than the other team is, at the end of the day, the only stat that matters because it’s the only way to win in this sport, but for the Sabres, preventing opponents from scoring will play a greater role this year.
This means the team’s X-Factor for 2023-24 is either a blueliner or a goaltender. But we saw what Devon Levi could do, and he posted outstanding numbers for a kid fresh out of college. Even more impressive was the fact he played so well behind a spotty defensive rotation when other goaltenders could not. This shows us that Levi is NOT the X-Factor conducive to success this season.
The X-Factor for the Buffalo Sabres in 2023-24 is….
If the Sabres plan on earning a playoff berth, the defensive rotation has got to improve, and that’s something most fans agree on. We’ve seen what Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson can do, but it’s clearly not enough.
They are a trio of outstanding blueliners, but more help is needed. And we’ve also seen plenty of instances where their respective presence was unable to prevent disastrous play.
Therefore, if you’re looking for an X-Factor, or someone who isn’t part of the team’s nucleus who will be a game-changer, well, that player has yet to step foot into the Queen City. Yet, anyway. The X-Factor will be a defenseman who the Buffalo Sabres must either trade for or sign in free agency this year.
That player must help improve the defense by maintaining a physical style of play, displaying sound positioning, and most importantly staying healthy. If that new blueliner can meet the aforementioned criteria, and even if all other aspects of the game remain equal to last season, the Blue and Gold will be playing hockey well into late April, and perhaps longer.
Source: Sabres roundtable: Is a No. 1 goalie on the shopping list? Who is next to break out? by Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington, BuffaloNews.com