The Buffalo Sabres picked up their first win of the new season on Wednesday night, an 8-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators, but a former NHL scout says the team still "lacks consistent detail and overall compete on a nightly basis."
Jason Bukala, who served as the Florida Panthers' director of amateur scouting from 2016 through 2020, analyzed the Sabres' early struggles for Sportsnet. He also worked for the Nashville Predators as part of a 14-year NHL scouting career.
"The win might lead to some momentum for the Sabres and eliminate some of the noise circulating about needed change in their hockey operations department, but the reality is they are still an unpredictable team that lacks a consistent identity," Bukala wrote.
After a few video clips of execution errors, he concluded: "The entire sequence isn't NHL quality from the Sabres and displays part of the reason(s) why this team is frustrating to watch at times."
Cleaning up the common mistakes is essential if Buffalo is going to turn its season around.
Buffalo Sabres criticized by former NHL front office executive after "disjointed" win over the Ottawa Senators
It's fair to argue the biggest issue for the Sabres during their three-game losing streak to open the 2025-26 season was a lack of compete. They lost far too many puck battles and didn't work nearly hard enough to regain possession after turnovers.
So Bukala isn't wrong when he writes the Blue and Gold "more often than not lack detail and execution."
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff even called it out after a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins.
"We have to just raise our level of compete," Ruff told reporters. "I thought our compete was terrible. Worst competing, skating, moving feet that I've seen."
Yet, there were some encouraging signs in that regard for Buffalo against the Sens.
The Sabres were a lot more aggressive on the forecheck and did a great job of keeping the puck alive in the offensive zone on the power play. They entered the game in an 0-for-11 drought with the man advantage before going 3-for-3 on the PP in the win.
Now the question is whether Ruff's group can play that way on a consistent basis.
The Sabres have enjoyed plenty of solid stretches during their 14-year playoff drought, and they were one of the league's most exciting teams three seasons ago when they missed the playoffs by one point, but their night-to-night performance has been far too variable.
Playing a more consistent brand of hockey gives a team more chances to win without its 'A' game. If Buffalo doesn't play its best, it usually ends up suffering a lopsided loss.
That's why it's so intriguing to see what happens when the Sabres return to action Saturday against the Florida Panthers, who are banged up but also the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions. Another strong outing may suggest Buffalo could be turning a corner.
Sabres fans want to get excited about their hockey team again, but history suggests it's best to proceed with caution until they play at a higher level on a more regular basis.