Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 54
Alex Tuch has evolved into one of the faces of the Buffalo Sabres franchise, and this year, a few rather obscure stats will stand out.
Alex Tuch became a fan favorite the second he came to the Queen City following the Jack Eichel trade, and he’s been a stud since taking the ice. Tuch was never the household name in Vegas that he is with the Buffalo Sabres, and the more he produces, the closer he will come to immortalizing his name with the franchise.
And just for the record, no, that is NOT today’s bold prediction – that’s just a fact in foresight. But there is an often-ignored stat line that should pop off of the graph by the time the 2023-24 season ends, and it’s one Tuch will lead all Sabres forwards in.
But for context, let’s look at Tuch’s recent history involving the statistic on-ice goals for (oiGF), which is the number of goals the Sabres score when they and their opponents are at even strength. In 2021-22, Tuch saw time in just 50 games, yet his oiGF sat at 46. Fast-forward to last season, and that number increased to 78.
Buffalo Sabres winger will shatter his career-high oiGF in 2023-24
This 75 In 75 Bold Predictions Series has done one thing over the past 54 days – it pushes the boundaries of NHL reality. In case you haven’t noticed in the past, I love using what I term NHL Numerology to make several of these predictions as they are intended to have a fun spin. Just check out Bold Prediction #53, which is listed toward the bottom of this piece, and you will get a small sampling of what this world of NHL Numerology is.
Related Story. Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 53. light
But it’s something we will also apply to this piece, too. Reverting to Tuch and his oiGF, I’m projecting the Sabres score 89 goals while one of their premier wingers is on the ice at even strength. Sure, the number is rather symbolic thanks to his jersey number, but the way Tuch’s productivity has kept sailing north over the last two seasons, if the stat actually landed somewhere in that Sabrehood, it wouldn’t surprise me.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)