Sabres Olympic Preview, All Star Recap
Owen Power suits up for the Olympics while the Sabres suit up for the 2nd half.
The All-Star break is over, the Olympics are underway, and the Sabres are back at home for the first time in nearly three weeks.
In today’s issue:
Recapping our trip to All-Star Weekend in Vegas
Olympics Preview
Sabres Prospect Update
Preview of Blue Jackets - Sabres
Let’s dive into it.
By the Numbers 📊
Record: 14-24-7 (35 points) | Division: 7th | League: 29th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 44.1% (30th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 44.0% (27th in the NHL)
Dahlstar Weekend
It was the first of likely many all-star appearances for 4th-year defenseman Rasmus Dahlin this past weekend in Vegas.
Skills Comp: Dahlin was the lone defenseman competing in the accuracy shooting competition, hitting 4/6 targets in 17.205, good for 4th out of 9 shooters.
ASG: The Atlantic division only lasted one game in the 3v3 tourney, but Dahlin hit the scoresheet with a goal and an assist in his first All-Star Game.
Following the game, Dahlin spoke with the media about the future outlook of the Sabres.
Despite another season destined for a lottery pick, he sees the potential in the group constructed by Kevyn Adams:
“We have such good chemistry. Everyone loves hanging out with each other and it’s just a great vibe in the locker room. I’m 100% sure it will turn out really good in Buffalo.” — Rasmus Dahlin
Dahlin marked the first Sabres defenseman to appear in an All-Star game since Brian Campbell in 2008.
Dahlin even learned a new celebration from Bills LT Dion Dawkins to look out for in the future:
Dawkins, in town for the NFL’s Pro Bowl, was at the Skills Competition soaking in the event and supporting his Sabres counterpart.
After chopping it up with Dahlin, Dion wanted to grab a picture with one of the game’s greats.
We helped him out, and it was a crossover event for the ages.
How to fix the Skills Competition
For a moment, it seemed like we were on to something.
During Friday’s Skills Competition, the NHL’s newest star, Trevor Zegras, scored arguably the craziest goal we’ve ever seen in a shootout attempt.
Not to mention: blindfolded, in an Average Joe jersey from the Vegas classic, Dodgeball.
It was perfect, and the NHL had a layup to returning this event to glory.
Instead, in classic NHL fashion, the league crushed all of that momentum within a couple of minutes.
Instead of celebrating Zegras pulling off a move that had everyone wondering, “how is that even possible?” the league had a… better idea?
Playing to the home crowd, the fabricated winner was Alex Pietrangelo, who skated through a lit-up drum line and didn’t even score on his attempt.
To put it frankly: it was corny and embarrassing to watch.
There’s nothing wrong with including some fun, but the entire point of the All-Star Weekend is to celebrate the skill of the top players in the world.
At least in the past, when Patrick Kane dressed like superman, or Ovechkin used two sticks, the players displayed some level of skill on top of their props.
Sure, Kaprisov’s Ovechkin impersonation was funny, but the props shouldn’t be the draw here. It should be the skill on display.
Zegras’ move shocked the world of hockey, yet was given 3rd place behind two staged attempts with little-to-no skill on display.
This tweet from Chris summed it up perfectly:
Olympic hockey is underway: Levi, Power going for gold
The men’s hockey portion of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games kicked off yesterday.
Team Canada faced Germany this morning to kick off their campaign with a 5-1 win.
Power didn’t register a point, but played big minutes and looked smooth and confident with the puck.
Canada’s roster boasts two Sabres prospects, Owen Power and Devon Levi. Power is expected to play a key role on the team’s blueline and many of his veteran teammates have already been singing his praises:
Sunday’s scrimmage against the US saw Owen Power line up on the left side of longtime KHL defenseman (and former Elmira Jackal), Matt Robinson. Power was also given PP2 minutes on a unit with Mason McTavish.
Devon Levi has an uphill battle for starts at the Olympics being the youngest in the goalie room. He was in street clothes for the scrimmage as Canada’s third string goalie. Here’s what Coach Jeremy Colliton had to say:
Let’s not forget about some other former Sabres legends participating in the Olympics: Eric Staal (Canada), Tobias Rieder (Germany), Dominik Kahun (Germany), Vladimir Sobotka (Czechia), Michael Frolik (Czechia), and Mikhail Grigorenko (Russia).
Quite the anxiety-inducing list for Sabres fans.
Prospect Update: Not spring yet, but goals are in full Bloom
Sabres’ 2021 3rd round pick, Josh Bloom, has been quietly putting together a very solid post-draft year on a very fun Saginaw Spirit team. If you have a chance to watch Saginaw in the OHL, I highly recommend doing it.
Bloom’s scored 4 goals in his last 4 games, including this nice snipe from Sunday:
Bloom is hovering just below a point-per-game scoring rate (37 points in 40 games), but leads Saginaw in both goals and points. He does a lot of things really well (slot passes, pucks to the middle, etc.) and possesses some nice tools in his toolbox.
He just turned 18 in June and did not play hockey at all during the 2020/21 season, so he’s got a lot of developmental runway left. Certainly a prospect to keep an eye on as he continues to lead an up-and-coming Saginaw team.
Game Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets @ Buffalo Sabres, 2/10/22
Sabres hockey is back, this could be either a good thing or a bad thing
Blue Jackets by the Numbers
Record: 21-22-1 (43 points) | Division: 5th | League: 23rd
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 44.6% (29th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 44.4% (25th in the NHL)
Scouting the Blue Jackets
Exploit the Neutral Zone: CBJ loves to push the pace when breaking out of their own zone by sprinting the forwards up ice to receive a pass. This causes them to be extra prone to neutral zone counterattacks
Bad 5v5 Defense: no team in the NHL gives up more 5v5 xGA/60 than the Blue Jackets (2.84), not even Montreal!
Players to Watch
Dylan Cozens (BUF): why not go with Dylan Cozens here? He’s had a nice developmental year, being one of the few players on the Sabres who can generate something on offense. Let’s see how he finishes the season out
Cole Sillinger (CBJ): it’s not every year that a player moves directly to the NHL from the USHL. The 2021 12th overall pick has been having himself a quiet, but a solid rookie campaign
The Week Ahead
Sunday, February 13: @ Montreal, 12:30 PM ET (TV: MSG)