3 things we want to see from the Buffalo Sabres in Week 14
Week 14 kicks off tonight for the Buffalo Sabres, and there are several things that must happen for this team to remain consistent.
The Buffalo Sabres finally have a chance to string together three wins in a row, and it’s a chance they last had in early November. One thing we know is that the Blue and Gold have proven themselves capable of playing for an entire 60 solid minutes, as was the case in their 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. But there are also times when they must win ugly, which you can argue was the case last Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
We know the Sabres can win games handedly when they are taking away scoring chances and moving the puck quickly in the offensive zone. But we don’t yet know they will consistently win when things aren’t going their way, something we’ve seen them falter at plenty of times this season. Luckily, there are a few players who must take the mantle this week and help the team create consistency overall for Week 14 to be successful.
3 things the Buffalo Sabres must do to remain consistent going into Week 14
1 - Owen Power parlaying his strong recent play
Contrary to what a strong contingent of fans have claimed, Owen Power hasn’t played poorly this season. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t improve his game, and it seems like he’s been a far more productive player since the Columbus Blue Jackets soundly beat the Sabres on December 19th, something Paul Hamilton of Audacy noted yesterday.
Looking at Power’s game logs since that ill-fated outing, it’s clear Hamilton couldn’t be more correct, given Power’s plus-10 rating between then and January 6th. He was minus-6 in his first 33 games with 12 points, but since December 21st, Power also has four points and a goal, plus 20:24 of average total ice time.
While the Sabres blueliners have been up-and-down lately, depending on the game, Power has recently been arguably their most consistent player in all the right ways. And if inconsistency continues to strike Buffalo’s defensive rotation, then Power must once again bring his A-Game.
2 - JJ Peterka ending his goalless streak would work wonders
JJ Peterka is still in a three-way tie for second place in goals scored this season among Sabres skaters alongside Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson. However, it’s been 11 games since the second-year forward last found the net, and he has just two goals in the past 17 contests.
The upside is that Peterka has created scoring chances for himself and others, as he’s often found himself skating up the wing and taking shots at the net. In those 11 games without a goal, he’s had 27 shots on net, so it’s only a matter of time before he ends this drought. However, we would ideally like to see it happen during a week when the Blue and Gold could use some additional scoring.
If Peterka gets on a roll this week, then the Kid Line could transform into the most threatening unit that the Blue and Gold has to offer. Jack Quinn continues to play well since his return, and if Peterka can get back on track, he and Quinn will help Dylan Cozens finally find his game.
3 - Someone “taking over the game” to keep the Sabres afloat
When things weren’t looking good for the Sabres last Saturday, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stepped up and played a near-perfect game. While it would be excellent to see Buffalo’s young goaltending duo step up and continually give their team a reprieve when things get rough, it’s not always feasible.
Therefore, in Week 14, someone other than Levi and Luukkonen needs to be disruptive and help prevent opposing scoring chances. Whether it’s someone we discussed earlier in Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin, or one of the more physical forwards, the Buffalo Sabres need someone to lead sound defensive play when opponents are creating chaos and traffic around the crease.
We have also seen numerous examples of the Blue and Gold tossing pucks at the net 40 or more times, only to come up with a goal or two. When the team has the puck, one of the game-changers must take control, whether it’s the elusive Tage Thompson, the resurgent Jack Quinn, or someone on the lower lines, someone must find the back of the net to create a spark.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)