The Sabres made some trades that added dimension to their team as they push for a playoff spot in the final quarter of the season
By the Numbers 📊
Record: 31-25-4 (66 points) | Division: 4th | League: 19th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 49.1% (23rd in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 50.8% (16th in the NHL)
Quick Hits
Buffalo Sabres trade forward prospect Josh Bloom to the Vancouver Canucks for defenseman Riley Stillman
Buffalo Sabres trade the rights to goaltender prospect Erik Portillo to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2023 3rd round pick
Buffalo Sabres trade forward Anders Bjork to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations
Buffalo Sabres trade a 2023 2nd round pick and a 2024 4th round pick to the Minnesota Wild for forward Jordan Greenway
Buffalo Sabres trade forward Rasmus Asplund to the Nashville Predators for a 2025 7th round pick
Jordan Greenway: Big guy szn
The Sabres have struggled when having to face big, heavy forechecking lines this season. Standing at 6’6” and 226 pounds, Jordan Greenway may be just the man to help fix that issue. He is a player who can add some much needed dimension to a young, rush-heavy forward cops.
The first thing to note about Jordan Greenway is that he is a familiar face. He was teammates with Tage Thompson at the US National Team Development Program and even won a gold medal with him at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Who coached Tage Thompson and Jordan Greenway at the program? Well it was Don Granato of course.
Don Granato and the Sabres greatly value the development process. While the process is different with a 26-year-old player than it is with a 18-year-old player, the core tenets of a coach and player relationship remain the same. Just look at what Tage Thompson was able to do after his 23rd birthday.
Jordan Greenway may not have the offensive potential of a Tage Thompson, but he plays a game that any hockey fan can come around to love:
The offense, particularly the shooting aspect, has been a struggle for Greenway as of late. He has just not been generating much on that end of the ice since the Wild changed head coaches in 2020.
However, the puck battles and the defensive matchups is an area of the game where Greenway has been thriving in Minnesota and that just happens to be an area of need in Buffalo:
Expect Jordan Greenway to play in a bottom six role where he can be a matchup guy defensively. Maybe they even try to play him up in the lineup to win puck battles for skilled linemates in games where zone entries are being shutdown.
Riley Stillman: The license to hit
The Buffalo Sabres added Riley Stillman via a trade with the Vancouver Canucks that saw prospect Josh Bloom being sent out west.
The move, on the surface, was seen as a bit of a surprise. He has struggled a bit with the Vancouver Canucks this season and really puts the word “depth” in depth defenseman:
However, he fits the theme of the players that the Sabres have been acquiring in the Kevyn Adams and Don Granato era. They look for schematic fit over point totals or public analytic models. If they see a guy who is being misused in another team’s system, they are not afraid to take them on. Tyson Jost is an example.
Stillman may only stand at 6’1” but the 24-year-old defenseman is not afraid to throw the body. He led the Sabres with 6 hits during Thursday’s game vs. the Bruins. He absolutely laid out Jakub Lauko here:
It’s all about the system fit with Riley Stillman and the current iteration of the Buffalo Sabres play a similar style to the 2020/21 Florida Panthers team that saw Stillman play the best hockey of his NHL career.
Prospects Update: Savoie heats up
After a slow start to the season Matthew Savoie has began to heat up, recording 21 points in his last 10 games. He was a key piece to the Winnipeg Ice’s offense during their win over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Tuesday:
It also does not sound like GM Kevyn Adams plans on moving his top prospects anytime soon:
Game Preview: Lightning @ Sabres, 3/4/23, 12:30 PM ET
Saturday afternoon hockey games: you either love them or you hate them
Lightning by the Numbers 📊
Record: 37-19-5 (79 points) | Division: 3rd | League: 6th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 52.1% (11th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 53.6% (8th in the NHL)
Scouting the Lightning
Push the Pace: the Sabres offense was buzzing in their last game against the Lightning with quick stops and quick pushes up the ice. Not having Tuch (and maybe Dahlin) will hurt, but they still have the pieces to play quick and smart
Full 60: I know this is very cliché, but the Sabres just saw what it was like to battle one of the NHL’s top teams on Thursday night and the bottom absolutely fell out after the 1st period. They need to use their legs to their advantage and force a full, hard-battled game on the Lightning
Players to Watch
Brayden Point (TBL): Points has 8 points in his last 3 games against the Sabres including a 3-point outing in their last meeting. He can break open an evenly matched game with his pace and skill. The Sabres need to make sure they can rein him in to avoid a track meet (or a blowout)
Tage Thompson (BUF): he recorded a hat trick his last time out against the Lightning and he’s going to remain a key piece in breaking this game open. He’s one of the NHL’s premier players on the rush and will need to get going if the team wants to take down Tampa once again