Buffalo Sabres: Victor Olofsson reminds everyone he’s still relevant
By Sion Fawkes
Victor Olofsson was arguably the Buffalo Sabres worst forward in the earliest stages of the year, but that narrative may be changing.
Through his first nine games, Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson logged just one point on an assist, which came in the Blue and Gold’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 4th. In three of his last five games, however, Olofsson has put up multiple-point outings, giving him seven on the season in 14 contests.
Sure, his only two goals of the season came during the 5-2 debacle vs. the Boston Bruins. But Olofsson has since shown us he’s more than the one-trick scoring specialist we all thought he was.
This isn’t to say the 28-year-old, who has averaged just 11:52 of ice time before last night’s win vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, will enjoy sustainable success. However, it may also imply he’s finally turning a corner when the Sabres need him the most. Things had gotten bad enough with Jack Quinn missing time, but with Tage Thompson shelved for another few weeks, other players had to step up, and Olofsson looks as though he’s taken the mantle.
Will Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson continue his upward trajectory?
With such little ice time (Olofsson bottomed out at 9:49 against the Washington Capitals), it’s clear the Sabres winger still hasn’t completely regained the coaching staff’s trust. However, he’s more than making the most out of the time he’s been given, and it comes at a pivotal moment in the season veteran’s NHL career.
It was clear that, starting late last season, the Sabres were losing patience with Olofsson, and they ended up scratching him multiple times during their last-ditch attempt to earn their first trip to the playoffs in over a decade. He was also a healthy scratch for quite a few games already this season. But if he continues to set up scoring chances for linemates, perhaps he will earn back some of that trust.
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However, it’s also worth noting that Olofsson is one of the Buffalo Sabres streakiest players, as he’s gone on points surges in the past. We’ll see sooner than later whether this latest surge is anything different from what we’ve seen seemingly every season since he became a full-time member of the roster.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)