The Buffalo Sabres have plenty to discuss and work on before their next game on Wednesday night against the Utah Mammoth. The team is currently 1-2-4 over their last seven games and coming off an ugly performance against the Carolina Hurricanes with their 6-3 loss.
One of the biggest concerns is the defense, and the Sabres can't wait for the eventual return of Rasmus Dahlin in hopes of fixing it. This is an issue across all the pairs, and it is time for the coaching staff to rethink each pair.
The biggest issue against the Carolina Hurricanes was the pairing of Bo Byram and Michael Kesselring. According to MoneyPuck, this pair was on the ice for all three 5v5 goals the Hurricanes scored, and they allowed 13 of the 25 shots on goal.
Buffalo Sabres new defensive pairs should look like this against the Utah Mammoth
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Jacob Bryson | Mattias Samuelsson |
Owen Power | Michael Kesselring |
Bo Byram | Connor Timmins |
The Buffalo Sabres can't afford to use the same defensive pairs they did against the Hurricanes and should somewhat go back to what the original plan was for this defense. That means finally pairing Owen Power with Michael Kesselring, which was what was expected when the team made the JJ Peterka trade in the summer.
The skill sets for these two players on paper should complement each other very well, but an injury to Kesselring during the preseason put this on hold. Since his return, the Sabres really haven't tried to utilize this pair, but they need to see what they have and if it can work.
The absence of Rasmus Dahlin certainly complicates things, and it is unknown at this time when he will return. In the meantime, the Sabres should continue to have Jacob Bryson alongside Mattias Samuelsson, who is arguably their best defenseman this season.
This was the pairing for the game against the Hurricanes, and it produced a solid xGoals % of 67.4%. It also makes sense to continue with this pair because when Dahlin returns, he should work alongside Samuelsson as the Sabres' top pair.
What can the Buffalo Sabres do with Bo Byram?
After these pairs, this leaves Bo Byram on the third pair with Connor Timmins, and Byram needs to remain on that last pair until he shows he can be productive. This season, Byram has struggled after the team brought him back on a two-year contract.
If Byram doesn't improve on that pair with Timmins, then when Dahlin returns, the coaching staff needs to seriously consider having him as a healthy scratch and have Bryson work alongside Timmins. It would certainly be surprising for it to reach that point but Byram has been that bad but he currently has the worst xGF% of any defenseman at 46.14%, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The Buffalo Sabres have not been afraid to send a message to key players, and did it earlier this season when they moved Jiri Kulich to the fourth line during practice. Hopefully, it doesn't have to get to that point, and Byram can turn his play around, but they can't continue to give him top-line minutes with how he is playing.
It should be a busy few days for the coaching staff as they try to figure out the right combination to get their defense back on track before they have to take the ice again.