The Buffalo Sabres have dropped eight consecutive hockey games in regulation, their last win coming on November 2nd against the Pittsburgh Penguins
By the Numbers đ
Record: 7-11-0 (14 points) | Division: 7th | League: 30th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 49.0% (20th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 45.9% (25th in the NHL)
Quick Hits
Buffalo Sabres claim Tyson Jost off of waivers from the Minnesota Wild
Mattias Samuelsson set to return to game action tonight vs. the Montreal Canadiens
Familiar Place: Sabres falling apart after promising start
It does not take a rocket scientist to tell you that the Buffalo Sabres have not been good as of late. I mean their place in the standing speaks for itself. The 8-game losing streak has submarined their promising start.
When the losing streak began the team still had promise. The injury-riddled Sabres put up strong fights against two Eastern Conference heavyweights: the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
They dropped a brutal âshould-have-wonâ game against the Arizona Coyotes, lost a track meet with the Vegas Golden Knights, and put up a fight against the Boston Bruins but lost due to a mindless penalty taken.
Now their last three losses have had âold Sabresâ vibes, just getting straight-up outplayed.
Why are the Sabres falling apart? Well, one reason I will highlight is the failure to âprotect the house,â the polygonal area formed by the top center of the circles and angled towards the net. Basically, the dangerous area on the ice.
Check out this neat graphic from HockeyViz:
The red areas on this chart are where the Sabres have given up excess shots relative to league average. The Sabres have given up an excess of shots in an area where you do not want to as it is a very easy area for an opponent to score from.
This breakdown in the slot can happen for a variety of reasons: poor coverage reads, lack of size, and do not think the forwards are absolved from these issues as well.
The slot shots the Sabres have been given up may even be more dangerous than the expected goal data shows since a good chunk of these shots have been completely uncovered:
Tyson Jost: The newest Sabre
Well, one way to keep fans interested during a losing streak is to add new players and the Buffalo Sabres decided to claim Tyson Jost off waivers from the Minnesota Wild this past Sunday.
With injuries to Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons, along with some injuries down in the AHL, the Tyson Jost claim appears to be a move that allows them to send Anders Bjork back down to Rochester to re-bolster their forward depth.
Jost was a 2016 1st-round pick, but has struggled to live up to the high offensive expectations he set for himself as a prospect. He hit his NHL season high for points in 2018/19 when he recorded 26 in 70 games for the Colorado Avalanche.
The expectation will probably be for Jost to fill a Vinnie Hinostroza-type of depth role in the Sabresâ bottom six. He has played center but it is worth noting that he has a 39.9 FO% at the NHL level. Also, the days of hoping for top-six production may be over.
Back in Black and Red
The Sabres will debuting their highly anticipated black and red âgoatheadâ alternate uniforms on their 90âs Night against the St. Louis Blues this Wednesday.
These uniforms are a cleaned-up version of their 1996 to 2006 home uniforms and they look gorgeous:
They canât lose while wearing these uniforms, right? Right?
Prospects Update: Savoie heats up
Sabresâ 2022 8th overall pick, Matthew Savoie, had a bit of a slower start to his 2022/23 WHL campaign. He is expected to be a key contributor on one of the WHLâs top teams. He has finally hit his groove, recording 10 points in his last 3, good enough for 26 points in 17 games on the season.
Savoie recorded a 6-point game including a hat-trick during Winnipegâs 9-5 win over Regina on Thursday night:
Down on the Farm: Young Guns impress
The Rochester Americans have faced some depth issues due to NHL call-ups and injuries at the AHL level. This means greater opportunity for the younger players who continue to improve and impress at the pro hockey level.
The Amerks split a weekend series with the Utica Comets, losing 3-2 on Friday but winning 3-2 on Saturday. The young players were key contributors during Saturdayâs victory.
Aleksandr Kisakov took full advantage of his power play opportunity to score his 3rd goal of the season:
Isak RosĂŠn showed off his continued improvement in the dangerous areas of the ice as he hopped on the loose puck to score Saturdayâs eventual game-winner:
Game Preview: Sabres @ Canadiens, 11/22/22, 7:00 PM ET
If there was ever a game for the Sabres to end their losing streak, this may be the one (which means it might not be the one)
Taking a look at the BetStamp app, the Sabres offer some nice value at -102 on FanDuel.
Canadiens by the Numbers đ
Record: 9-8-1 (19 points) | Division: 6th | League: 21st
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 46.2% (25th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 48.1% (21st in the NHL)
Scouting the Canadiens
Mediocre Special Teams: well this game certainly wonât be a battle of two elite special teams clubs, but maybe bad penalty kills can activate some bad power plays (or vice versa). Montreal is 32nd in xGA/60 when shorthanded (10.52)
Struggle to Access Center Lane: earlier in this newsletter, we talked about the Sabres inability to defend the slot. Well Montreal has been having issues accessing the center of the ice in the offensive zone this season and have relied on elite shooting from the wings
Players to Watch
Mattias Samuelsson (BUF): the big man returns to action and the hope is that he can provide the Sabres with some elements they have been missing during this losing streak. It is a bit strange to see him separated from Rasmus Dahlin. I guess the hope is that Samuelsson can revive Henri Jokiharjuâs season.
Kirby Dach (MTL): the 2019 3rd overall pick has been very good for his new club. He has 16 points in 18 games and ranks 3rd on the team in GAR. He has moved out to the right wing for the Habs, playing on the top line alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.