The Buffalo Sabres are now five games into the 2026-27 season and are currently 2-3 on the season after a 4-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night. It has not been an ideal start, as they have been down by multiple goals in every game this season and currently have a -8 goal differential, all while playing four out of five games at home.
There is no question that it is early in a very long season, but these are three concerning trends that have emerged to begin the 2026-27 season.
Not converting scoring chances
The Buffalo Sabres haven't really had much trouble generating scoring chances, and they currently have the fifth-best 5v5 scoring chances per 60 minutes in the league at 31.46, but it hasn't translated into goals. As of Sunday morning, the Sabres have the sixth lowest goals score per game average at only 2.20.
At this point of the season, the Sabres are already averaging a goal less per game than they did last season at 3.45. There is no question that the absence of Alex Tuch is a factor after being traded this offseason but it is not the only reason.
Through five games, the group of Peyton Krebs, Konsta Helenius, Zach Benson, Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod, and Josh Doan has combined for one goal. To make matters worse, that one goal by Helenius was in the first game of the season.
Even if they still had Tuch, if the Sabres are not getting goals from this many players, they are not going to win many games. The chances are certainly there; the Sabres just need to convert them.
Penalty Kill
Another area that has regressed significantly this season has been the Buffalo Sabres' penalty kill, as they currently rank 30th in the league at 62.5%. Through the first five games of the season, the Sabres have given up at least one power-play goal in four of those games.
It is a stark contrast to where they were last season, when they had one of the best penalty kills in the league at 81.9% and ranked fourth in the league. However, it isn't all that surprising as two of their Top 6 players in penalty-kill minutes last season (Tuch and Bowen Byram) are no longer with the team.
For the coaching staff, it is going to be a little trial and error, and they need to figure it out sooner rather than later because it is a major reason for the slow start.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Last season, the Sabres also had a 2-3 record but one of the few bright spots was the goalie position as Alex Lyon did a great job keeping the Sabres in games. This season, Lyon is on injured reserve to at the start of the season and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has started three of the five games.
Unfortunately, Luukkonen has not gotten off to the same start and is 1-2 with a goals against average of 4.02 and a save percentage of .782. The concern is that the Sabres have done a pretty good job limiting shots as the Sabres goalies are tied for the fewest shots faced in the NHL at 106.
According to MoneyPuck, Luukkonen has the third-worst goals saved above expected at -5.1 in the NHL. It is a noticeable difference when compared to Colten Ellis, who is at +0.4 through two starts.
It will be interesting to see how the Sabres rotate their goalies moving forward, especially with the potential return of Alex Lyon. However, Luukkonen's chances of proving he can be the starter might be dwindling.
There is no question that it is early in the season and for the Sabres, there is no reason to panic quite yet. However, these are a few concerning trends that have shown up at the start of the season that need to be corrected.
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