Well, that was a pretty fun week of Sabres hockey.
Despite the team’s results being less than stellar, Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, and JJ Peterka finally had a chance to make their long-awaited Sabres debuts.
The prospects have continued to churn out good results, and there finally appears to be some light at the end of this long, dark, rebuilding tunnel.
By the Numbers
Record: 10-17-6 (26 points) | Division: 6th | League: 28th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 45.2% (29th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 44.1% (27th in the NHL)
Peyton Krebs: A pure playmaker
Krebs has been known to be a playmaking forward for quite some time. However, this chart posted by Mitchell Brown still managed to catch my eye:
If you look way up at the top of the chart, you will see Peyton Krebs’ name. He recorded nearly two expected primary assists per 60 minutes of play for the Winnipeg Ice in the 2019/20 WHL season. That’s pretty remarkable.
Even a quick glance at Krebs’ box score stats show a guy who loves making plays. In his last 72 WHL games, he has a respectable 25 goals and an impressive 78 assists. He was more than a point-per-game player just based on assists alone.
His lack of goal scoring is not really because of his lack of scoring ability. It’s more due to his lack of shot volume since he is more likely to defer to a pass option. Oftentimes, that tends to be the right decision, especially when Krebs is the one making the play.
We saw flashes of this pass-making/playmaking ability during his first two games as a Sabre, but it really showed through on this beautiful power-play feed to Alex Tuch:
That is just a pure playmakers’ pass, one that not a lot of players are capable of pulling off. Sure, there are a number of NHLers who have the skill to execute this play when instructed to do that and only that.
However, it’s not just the skill level to execute this play with Krebs but the ability to problem solve at game speed and create a high-valued slot shot for Tuch out of virtually nothing. That is a projectable trait and one we will be seeing a lot of throughout his Sabres career.
Ethan Prow Appreciation Post
JJ Peterka was not the only member of the 2020/21 Red Bull München team to make his NHL debut with the Sabres on Wednesday. Ethan Prow, a 29-year-old defenseman from Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, also made his NHL debut.
Prow went undrafted in the NHL. He played four seasons for St. Cloud State, eventually signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016. After 5 seasons in the AHL and 1 season in Germany, he finally got to see NHL ice.
Oh and he scored a goal too:
The scary (and not so scary) Atlantic Division
This weekend, JFresh posted a chart that visualizes how NHL teams stack up in terms of 5v5 expected goals for percentage:
The top 3 teams? Those are all Atlantic Division teams. The division is also home to the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions who come in at 8th.
A quick look at the bottom of the list and one realizes that 3 of the bottom 5 teams also happen to be members of the Atlantic. You have to be either extremely good or extremely good to play in this division (or just be a chaotic neutral like the Detroit Red Wings).
Probably not the worst time to be in a rebuild if you are an Atlantic Division team (especially with that 2023 draft class).
JJ Peterka continues to impress
I may have to make a permanent JJ Peterka section to this newsletter if he continues to pull off stuff like this in the AHL:
Peterka managed to pick up 5 points in 2 games down in Rochester this weekend after his brief stint in the NHL. He now has an incredible 25 points in 25 AHL games as a 19-year-old.
The competition in the AHL has certainly gotten weaker with a large number of players being called up to their respective teams’ taxi squads. This should provide Peterka with even more of an opportunity to continue to dominate.
Game Preview: San Jose Sharks @ Buffalo Sabres, 1/6/22
Yes, you are going to have to wait until Thursday for the next Sabres game
Sharks By The Numbers
Record: 17-15-1 (35 points) | Division: 6th | League: 18th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 49.0% (19th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 46.2% (21st in the NHL)
Scouting the Sharks
High-End PK: the Sharks are average in a lot of areas, but not when it comes to the penalty kill. They have one of the best in the league (not like it will make much of a difference for this Sabres power play)
EK65 is back: after spending some time out of the spotlight due to some not so Karlsson-like play, he is back to being a wizard this season. Maybe it’s just the new haircut
Players to Watch
Peyton Krebs (BUF): now this is all reliant on Krebs not being sent back to the AHL before Thursday, but I think he has shown enough to stay up in the big leagues. Look for some more eye-catching passes as he continues to adjust to the NHL level
Timo Meier (SJS): if we are talking about NHL forwards who are underrated relative to their production and really just how talented they are as a whole, Meier has to be at the top of that list. He’s one of the premier offensive players in the game. He was benched in OT last week, but bounced back with 3 assists on Sunday