The beginning of the 2024-25 season for the Buffalo Sabres feels a lot like the others. Fans are being told to exercise patience, yet we continue to see the same inconsistent Sabres. They should have earned two points yet lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and getting shellacked by the Columbus Blue Jackets is never okay.
Thankfully, however, the Sabres turned in one of their better performances of the season on Saturday night. There are a few things worth taking away from the 4-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, so let’s get right into it.
Honorable Mention: Matt Ellis Needs to Be Fired Part III
This isn’t going to occupy one of the three takeaways because it is going to be some time before this opinion changes. The Sabres are already having trouble drawing penalties – they’re in the bottom third of the league with 25 opportunities – but the fact that they haven’t scored yet is unforgivable.
Entering the Blackhawks game, the Sabres had the second-most goals at 5-on-5 in the NHL yet sported a 1-4-1 record. The power play is a major reason for that. They are 0-for-25 on the power play and there are no signs of improvement. Even if Matt Ellis isn’t directly responsible, his stink remains and is suffocating the Sabres’ special teams.
The Sabres’ Top Line Is Very Good
The top line of J.J. Peterka, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch continues to be a driving force for the Sabres this season. The trio combined for two goals and five points on the night, including what would become the game-winner from Peterka.
Related: 3 Sabres That Have Been Noticeably Good to Start the Season
Though they aren’t exactly dominant, they have been quite good. Getting a point per game from Tuch and Peterka (and Thompson has six points in seven games) is about as good as could have been hoped for in the early stages of the season.
Given how woefully invisible the second line has been, the top line needs to continue to drive the play. If the power play isn’t going to be a factor in these games, then the Sabres need to continue to be one of the best teams in the NHL at 5-on-5.
This Was Luukkonen’s Best Game
It hasn’t been talked about all that much but Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen hasn’t been the same outstanding goaltender that he was a season ago. He earned his first victory of the season, but more importantly, turned aside 35 of 37 shots against. He looked comfortable and confident doing so.
If the Sabres are ever going to really threaten for a playoff spot, they will need Luukkonen to be as good as he is capable of being. This is the guy that the team got through the final four months of 2023-24 and what they expected when they signed him to a new contract in the summer.
Jiri Kulich Is for Real
His stats don’t show how he’s been playing, but Kulich looked like one of the best players on the ice for the Sabres against the Blackhawks. He plays with tenacity, the puck always seems to find him, and he always looks for an opportunity to shoot.
He only has one goal – which came against the Blue Jackets – but peppered Chicago with five shots on Saturday night. The second line has been struggling but Kulich seems to have found a place and is clearly the best player of the trio right now.
Kulich doesn’t have the flashiness that Zach Benson showed when he made the lineup as an 18-year-old last season, but there’s definitely something impressive about him. He’s here to stay and more than deserves to be where he is. Getting him more productive linemates would be nice, however.
Sabres Building Momentum?
Yes, the Blackhawks are one of the worst teams in the league. That said, the Sabres need to look at every game as a chance to build momentum. Getting to a place where beating these teams is expected is something the Sabres should be striving for. As we saw by giving up six to the Blue Jackets, they aren’t there yet.
There is a tough stretch coming, though four of the next five are at home. Facing the Detroit Red Wings (twice), Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, and New York Islanders will show just who this team really is and set the tone for the rest of the season.
