The Youth Movement
The Sabres are the youngest team in the NHL and are looking to make a statement
The Sabres are back in action, I am ready to talk about the Sabres, so let’s get right into it
By the Numbers 📊
Record: 1-1-0 (2 points) | Division: 6th | League: 20th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 42.6% (25th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 60.0% (10th in the NHL)
Quick Hits
The Buffalo Sabres place forward Anders Bjork on waivers
Matej Pekar has been loaned to the Rochester Americans
Rasmus Dahlin: Building a leader
It has been pretty clear for quite some time that the Buffalo Sabres have been prepping Rasmus Dahlin for a leadership role. There’s a reason why the 22-year-old is wearing an ‘A’ on his chest this season.
It seems like we have gotten a completely reenergized and rejuvenated Dahlin this season, building off the positives we saw in his game last season. It has shown up on the scoresheet: 2 goals and 1 assist in 2 games. His underlying numbers have been good as well: a 53.6 xGF% at 5v5, the best among Sabres defensemen.
The start of this season has been more than just the on-ice play for Dahlin. He has been unafraid to be a bit of an agitator out on the ice. He gave Josh Norris a little snow shower on Thursday:
He was then fully prepared to meet the Panthers in the arena hallway after the game on Saturday:
The new Rasmus Dahlin is fiery and it seems like this newfound fire has helped his play as well. He may only be 22 years old, but he already has four NHL seasons under his belt and looks to be ready to eventually take on a bigger leadership role. Maybe that ‘A’ will turn into a ‘C’ someday.
Everybody loves JJ Peterka
I think it’s safe to say that JJ Peterka will be a fan favorite in Buffalo for a very, very long time.
Not only is he good at hockey, but he has one of the best motors on the team. He’s always hounding the opponent when they have the puck and helping his team win back possession.
The most impressive thing so far may be his ability to make chain-linked plays at 5v5. The ability to both place and receive the puck in ways that eventually lead to dangerous opportunities.
That’s exactly how he scored his 1st career NHL goal on Thursday:
Helps the battle along the wall, receives the puck, drives the middle, passes the puck back to the wing, surges through the defenseman for an open pass reception, and a goal. Very smart 5v5 hockey from a 20-year-old rookie.
Check out the poise here for his 2nd point of the season. Finds space up ice and calmly hits Zemgus Girgensons with a drop pass for the open-look goal:
How about drawing in the defender here so he can hit Tage Thompson in space who finds Jeff Skinner for what should have been another goal:
On a Buffalo Sabres team whose problem has always been creating offense at 5v5, it’s refreshing to see a young player like JJ Peterka generate chances with his skill, vision, and overall inventiveness.
Down on the Farm: Rosén scorches one, UPL stays hot
The Rochester Americans kicked off their 2022/23 season this past weekend with back-to-back games against the Toronto Marlies. This season is set to be a fun one for the Amerks with a roster chock-full of prospects and solid AHL vets.
The Amerks came in just as advertised for Friday’s match, winning a 4-2 decision over the Marlies. Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosén both recorded their 1st career AHL points en route to the victory.
Check out this incredible goal that Rosén scored on the man advantage:
The game on Saturday did not go Rochester’s way, the Marlies would win the game 3-1 after outshooting the Amerks 40-26. The Amerks most impressive performance came from their net as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 37 of 39, good enough for a .937 SV% through the first two games.
Prospects Update: Levi doing Levi things, Neuchev quietly impresses
It is difficult to find a more exciting prospect than Devon Levi in hockey right now. He has been such a fantastic goaltender at so many different levels and he is already off to a hot start in his 2nd NCAA campaign.
Northeastern has an issue with giving up a lot of shot volume. I mean Levi faced 51 shots in Saturday’s match against Providence, stopping 49 of them. Northeastern lost 2-1, but it was not without a valiant effort from Levi. He has a .952 SV% through four games.
Let’s talk about a less talked-about Sabres prospect: Viktor Neuchev. He was a 3rd round pick this past summer and the 18-year-old has made the move from junior hockey in the MHL to pro hockey in the KHL for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.
No U20 player in the KHL has recorded more points than Neuchev (5 PTS in 18 GP) and he has slowly been gaining the confidence of his coaching staff. He has seen more than 11:00 TOI in 5 of his last 7 games. Solid for a league that’s not too kind to young players.
Here is Neuchev’s (#79) secondary assist from Monday’s game:
Game Preview: Buffalo Sabres @ Edmonton Oilers, 10/18/22, 9 PM ET
Buffalo Sabres hockey…at night
The Sabres enter as fairly large underdogs against one of the West’s most dangerous teams in Edmonton.
Taking a look at the BetStamp app, there’s pretty good value across the board if you feel good about the Sabres. The best odds for their moneyline come in at +210 on DraftKings.
Oilers by the Numbers 📊
Record: 1-1-0 (2 points) | Division: 5th | League: 24th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 38.5% (30th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 34.6% (26th in the NHL)
Scouting the Oilers
Mediocre 5v5 Play: the Oilers have been outscored 5 to 3 at 5v5 so far this season, they have also been outshot 57 to 39 at 5v5. Only 1 of Connor McDavid’s 5 points has come at 5v5
McDavid, McDavid, McDavid: the guy already has 5 points in his first two NHL games this season and he’s coming off of a playoff performance that saw him put up 33 points in 16 games last season. Watch this man, especially on the power play
Players to Watch
Tage Thompson (BUF): Tage has been off to a rough start this season and his line has really not been able to get much of anything going. We will see if Don Granato changes the lines to get things going for him.
Connor McDavid (EDM): When all is said and done, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where McDavid is not among the top 10 best players to ever play the game. Enjoy watching him while he is in his prime.