The Buffalo Sabres, after suffering a 13-game losing streak, rallied recently, beating the New York Islanders 7-1 on Long Island before coming home to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2. Then Buffalo went on the road again to outscore the St. Louis Blues 4-2. Fans and sports writers are still skeptical they can keep this up, but there are some things the team is doing differently recently that make the Sabres much more competitive. Let’s examine them below.
Dahlin’s return boosts Buffalo’s D
The Sabres’ captain is one of the roster’s most consistent defensemen, playing competitively whenever he’s on the ice and often contributing on offense with goals and assists. So it was a big blow when No. 26 was injured in early December and didn’t play for almost two weeks. When he finally returned, there were high hopes he could help right Buffalo’s sinking ship.
While that didn’t happen immediately, Dahlin’s leadership and example no doubt spurred the rest of Buffalo’s defense to play better in these past few matchups. Head coach Lindy Ruff praised Dahlin’s success since coming back after a Sabres’ practice on Dec. 28.
Sabres scoring more on power plays
The Sabres have been notoriously weak with the man advantage since time immemorial. So, it’s been a welcome change to watch the team’s offense actually control the puck during 5-on-4s and even more amazingly, score on some of them. Forward Jason Zucker has contributed to that turnaround, scoring two PP goals during his last five games and has five so far this season.
Zucker’s PP prowess became contagious, with center Tage Thompson getting into the act during Buffalo’s recent 4-2 victory over the Blues. TNT’s power play goal was his third this year to date. While the Sabres still rank near the bottom of the NHL in PP scoring, observers have noticed the guys are doing much better with the man advantage.
Buffalo playing more consistent hockey for 60 minutes
Something else Sabres’ fans might note is Buffalo is playing 60 minutes of hockey, controlling the puck and closing out games. In past contests the Sabres would get a lead and then blow it in the second or third period, or else get behind early and fail to mount a comeback. However, the Blue and Gold have done the opposite lately. When the Sabres get ahead, they don't panic if their opponent ties it up but keep up the pressure and find a way to win.
For example, during the matchup versus the St. Louis Blues, Buffalo took an early two-goal lead thanks to Peyton Krebs and Thompson. The Blues responded, with Brayden Schenn making it 2-1 Sabres at the end of the first period and Nathan Walker evening things up early in the third. Buffalo answered back, thanks to Jason Zucker's power play goal and Jiri Kulich's wrister that put that one away.
Zucker pointed out that two weeks earlier, if the Sabres gave up an early lead, it might have led to a tough loss. But the team buckled down, showed some poise, won crucial puck battles and got the two points they needed.
If Buffalo continues to play a consistent three periods of hockey this way, the Sabres will win a lot more games going forward.