It is looking more and more like the Buffalo Sabres are going to miss the postseason for the 14th straight season. Many fingers will be pointed as the year reaches its final stretch. One group that has hurt them thus far, is their special teams.
The Buffalo Sabres are below the league average in both power play goals for and against throughout the year. They have scored 29 power play goals out of 173 chances over their first 60 games. The average for them this season is at 16.76%. The league average is 16.76%.
On the defensive end of the ice, they have fared slightly better. They have only allowed 42 goals while shorthanded. This is out of 182 chances presented to opponents after a Sabre had to go into the box.
They are at 76.92% on the penalty kill. This is slightly below the league average at 78.31%. However, with Buffalo being both the league in both categories may demonstrate that why they are in last place in the Eastern Conference with just 22 games to play.
The Sabres do have four shorthanded goals this season.
Alex Tuch has led the team in shorthanded chances scoring three on the year. The other player who scored when the Sabres were shorthanded was Ryan Mcleod. The Sabres may be moving on from Tuch and they will need players to step up while on the power play.
They have 22 games remaining and if they can get above the league average it could be a huge momentum boost entering the offseason. A huge part that may have hurt has recently been answered. Jordan Greenway who missed a lot of time due to injury recently signed a two-year extension.
Greenway has been a huge a physical presence when on the ice. He has 80 hits on the ice, despite only playing in 26 games on the year. If he could help on the penalty kill, they could look to a player like him to set the example for next year.
When on the offense, captain Rasmus Dahlin is currently leading the team with 13 assists on the powerplay. That is vital for the leader of the team to come through when needed most and will boost morale if he could two or three more on the season.
If Buffalo makes move for the trade deadline, the new look roster could be a sign of things to come. If they can work on special teams and gain a few more victories along the way, they could have more momentum to start the fall of 2025.