The weather is cold, but the Sabres are hot
Don't look now, but the Sabres are 5-1-0 over their last six games
I am sad at the thought of the Sabres season ending on Friday and that is a very strange feeling.
By the Numbers đ
Record: 31-38-11 (73 points) | Division: 5th | League: 24th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 45.7% (27th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 44.3% (27th in the NHL)
The weather is cold, but the Sabres are hot
In case you havenât noticed, the Buffalo Sabres are 5-1-0 over their last six games. They are 4-1-0 in the five games since Owen Power arrived. One can say that three of those games were against âbottom-feeders,â but thatâs exactly what the sportsbooks thought the Sabres would be this season.
Playing well against somewhat weaker opponents is a small step, but a step in the right direction nonetheless. They boast a 55.6 xGF% at 5v5 over their past five games (9th in the NHL in that span) which marks their best five-game stretch since October (via MoneyPuck):
The key driver behind this stretch of positive expected (and actual) play? The improved offense. The Sabres have put up 3.36 xGF/60 at 5v5 over their last five games. They have not had a five-game stretch of 5v5 offense at that level since October 2009!
The increased offense is really a team effort (although the Skinner-Thompson-Olofsson line has put up gaudy offensive numbers). 11 skaters on the Sabres boast over a 3.0 xGF/60 at 5v5 over the last five games. Even the Sabresâ middle-six forward group is putting up offense.
Rasmus Dahlin is finally looking like Rasmus Dahlin again on the offensive side of the puck. Owen Power has been, well, Owen Power as advertised. He already looks like he can help drive play in his very small NHL sample. Power is a turbo boost of offense when heâs out there:
At the end of the day, the Buffalo Sabres are good. The vibes within the organization have been fantastic. They finally look to be building towards something rather than tossing more sand on a wet sandcastle.
The season may be coming to an end, but there are plenty of things to be hopeful for as a Sabres fan and thatâs a great feeling.
Samuelsson-Dahlin: The yin and yang pair
The defensive pair with Mattias Samuelsson and Rasmus Dahlin has been fantastic for the Sabres in their 110 minutes together at 5v5. They have an impressive 56.8% expected goal share, providing solid offense and defense.
This is the âyin and yangâ pair as they are the perfect contrasts to each other. Dahlin provides the offense while Samuelsson can provide the defense. Their on-ice weaknesses slowly turn into strengths.
The interesting thing about this pair is how both players have left-handed shots. The hockey traditionalist typically likes to pair a left-handed shot with a right-handed shot and the numbers tend to back up this line of thinking.
However, there are some benefits to playing on the off-hand side in the offensive zone for a player of Dahlinâs caliber. His stick blade facing the center ice provides him with better vision and gives him the ability to become more of a shooting threat (allowing him to further carve out the offensive zone).
Playing on the right side also allows Dahlin to cut to the center of the ice and do cool stuff like this:
This D pair was always destined to happen, just look at these two guys:
Vegas Golden Knights eliminated from playoff contention
It looks like Jack Eichelâs NHL playoff debut will have to wait after Vegas dropped a 4-3 decision in the shootout to Chicago, eliminating them from playoff contention.
This is big news for Buffalo as they are the owners of Vegasâ 2022 1st-round pick. That pick can be no worse than 16th overall and has the chance to move up to 15th overall if Vancouver wins out.
If Vegas wins one of the lottery spots, the pick can move up to 6th or 7th overall. This would move the pickâs ownership back to Vegas (due to top 10 protection) while Vegasâ 2023 1st round pick would move to Buffalo. However, thereâs only around a 1.1% chance that this scenario could happen.
So itâs looking like the Buffalo Sabres will be the owners of 5 picks within the top 50 of the 2022 NHL Draft. Not too shabby.
It will be weird to watch the playoffs without Vegas. But honestly, you love to see it:
Prospects Update: Rochester barely hanging on; Cederqvist signs in Sweden
Things are not looking so peachy over in Rochester. The Americans dropped both games to the Cleveland Monsters in a borderline âmust-winâ back-to-back matchup over this past weekend.
The Toronto Marlies, who the Amerks are competing with for the 5th and final playoff spot in the North Division, picked up a major 2 points in a win over Laval on Wednesday.
What will it take for the Amerks to earn a playoff spot? Nothing short of a hail mary. They will have to beat the top-placed Utica Comets on Friday AND hope the Toronto Marlies fail to pick up a single point in their last two games. Itâs possible, but unlikely.
In other prospect news, the Sabresâ 2019 5th round pick, Filip Cederqvist, just signed a 1-year deal with Leksands IF of the SHL for the 2022/23 season:
He will be joined by fellow Sabres prospect, Isak RosĂŠn, in Leksands. Cederqvist is coming off a 2021/22 SHL campaign that saw him record a solid 32 points over 49 games. The Sabres hold Filip Cederqvistâs rights until June 2023.
Game Preview: Buffalo Sabres @ Boston Bruins, 4/28/22
Anders Bjork revenge game incoming?
Bruins By The Numbers
Record: 50-25-5 (110 points) | Division: 4th | League: 10th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 57.7% (1st in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 54.4% (8th in the NHL)
Scouting the Bruins
Aggressive, yet careful breakouts: the Bruins are prone to giving up the center lane when their opponentâs break out. The Sabres have the personnel (Dahlin and Power) to exploit this gap, but one wrong move near your own net can be costly
Watch the rush!: the bottom of the Bruins lineup tend to not be so aggressive on the rush. However, their top players (especially Bergeron, Pastrnak, Marchand, and Hall) can be absolutely lethal in this area of the game
Players to Watch
Dylan Cozens (BUF): this guy has been having himself some games over the past two weeks even though his point totals may not show it. Heâs getting his chances with 14 shots over his last 3 games, only a matter of time before the points start coming in
Charlie McAvoy (BOS): McAvoy is simply one of the best defensemen in the game right now, providing elite offense AND defense. I think itâs only a matter of time before he earns his first Norris Trophy. Heâs a joy to watch play the game