The Buffalo Sabres are on a tear at home when they wear their famous black and red Goathead jerseys. But does the type of jersey really matter?
If the Buffalo Sabres left me in charge of the uniform design, it would be no question: They would be wearing the famous Goatheads full-time while the classic crossed swords look would revert to alternate status. Not because the Sabres have played well in the former, but because, for all intents, black and red are my favorite colors, so it’s easy for me to hold a bias.
But when you look at how well the Sabres have played when they wear one of the NHL’s most intimidating uniforms, you can’t help but wonder: Is there something more to them? And the Sabres stats while wearing them is just mind-boggling:
- 65 goals in 14 games, or 4.6 per
- 37 goals allowed, or 2.64 per
- Posted a shutout and a near-shutout already in 2023-24
- 12-1-1 record, 8-22-3 record wearing other jerseys at home
Source: Mike Harrington: Sabres hope some October numbers transform to November winning streaks, Buffalo News
Does the jersey matter for the Buffalo Sabres, or is it something else?
Here’s the logic: The Sabres wouldn’t be winning game in and game out if they switched to the Goatheads full-time – both the home darks and the road lights. Things would likely even out, and supposing they wore the jerseys more often last season, they would most likely have a few more regulation ‘L’s’, or at least that’s what rational thought states.
Still though – shutting out one of the best teams in hockey was something no one had seen coming. But at the same time, were we seeing the best version of the Colorado Avalanche, a team that had lost 4-0 in its previous game, too?
I’m not going back and researching every last situation for the other 11 teams the Sabres beat while wearing the Goatheads. That kind of article would take a week to write. But I will stress that perhaps there are several common denominators taking place that can explain why the Buffalo Sabres play so well in them.
Not that I’m not endorsing a switch – I would take it in two seconds. But I’m also not expecting the Sabres to give us a dynasty any time soon or even an epic record at home because of a simple uniform switch. There are most likely other factors at play, at it would make for an interesting topic of discussion at a later date.