The Buffalo Sabres continue to roll, having won their previous three games. Though they have big decisions to make, particularly with how aggressive to be at the trade deadline, it has been more fun to be a Sabres fan of late than it has in the past 15 years.
On Tuesday night, the Sabres faced off against their old foes the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Sabres came out with some jump, fought off an aggressive Maple Leafs group early, and ultimately walked away with a 7-4 win, their fourth in a row.
Ramsus Dahlin – First NHL Hat Trick
First and foremost, hats off to Rasmus Dahlin for scoring his first NHL hat trick. He had the first and last goals on the night, and it could not have come at a better time. Dahlin and his fiancée recently revealed a terrible loss to their family in what has been a very difficult year for the couple.
As the captain of this team, Dahlin is often the heartbeat. The team has responded around him, taking the pressure off so that he can get through his personal matters and return to the ice ready to go. Seeing him pick up the hat trick – and a pair of assists – had to feel great for the entire time.
Though the expectations have been a Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman, Dahlin is quietly having a very good season. He is now up to 11 goals and 42 points in 48 games, a key part of the Sabres push toward the playoffs.
60-Minute Effort
One thing that has been consistently talked about, particularly in this space, is the need to put together an entire 60-minute effort. The Sabres can be explosive in bursts, often gaining an early lead only to see it slowly deflate over the course of the game.
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Though the Maple Leafs got out to a 2-1 lead in the first 11 minutes, the Sabres charged back to grab the lead before the break. When Dahlin gave the Sabres the 4-3 lead late in the second period, the Sabres put their foot on the gas rather than playing passively.
The Sabres scored a pair in the first 12 minutes of the third to effectively ice the game, Dahlin’s hat trick goal being the icing on the cake. The Sabres have been fortunate not to lose games late but they can put that doubt to rest by burying teams before they have a chance to get back into it.
Faceoffs are a Genuine Issue
If we can look objectively at this team and game, faceoffs are a major issue. The Sabres went 17/52 in the faceoff circle, good for a whopping 32.7%. As a team, they are dead last in the NHL with a 44.2% success rate.
Faceoffs, as a whole, can be a bit overrated but there will come critical draws that the team must win. Losing one late in their own zone could lead to a costly goal. It’s not that they have no one to win them, it’s that they have spread out the responsibility so thinly. Ryan McLeod is their best option consistently, winning 54.7 of his more than 800 faceoffs.
Of the “regular” faceoff-takers, only McLeod and Tyson Kozak have a win rate better than 50%. Peyton Krebs is an abysmal 33.3% over nearly 350 draws. Ultimately, the team has to get better in the faceoff dot if it wants to be a complete team.
The Sabres Continue to Roll
The Sabres have won four in a row and remain arguably the hottest team in hockey. They are now just four points back of the Detroit Red Wings in the Atlantic Division and have another crucial game with the Montreal Canadiens coming on Saturday.
Every game feels big at this stage because they are all big games. The schedule is going to be one of the toughest in the league and the Sabres have so far shown that they are just as good as most of these other teams.
