The Buffalo Sabres have had an up and down campaign to say the least. After two of their best games of the season, wins over the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers, a matinee matchup with the Calgary Flames suddenly had the attention of the entire fan base.
The Sabres responded with their third very good performance in a row, a 3-2 shootout victory over the Flames. Though it is the second three-game winning streak for the Sabres this season, this one comes at a pivotal time for the Sabres. Let’s get into the three main takeaways.
Luukkonen Is on a Heater
There are a number of things that needed to go well for the Sabres this season. Getting offensive production from the top line was a must. Team defense had to get better and the new additions needed to make the lineup better after no blockbuster trade was made during the offseason.
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But just as importantly, the team needed goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to pick up where he left off a season ago. It took some time, but Luukkonen appears to have found his groove. He has been very good over his last four starts, allowing no more than two goals in each of them (three wins).
Though his record is a modest 6-4-0 to start, the stats tell a bigger story. Luukkonen has allowed two goals or fewer in seven of his 11 starts. More importantly, he has been displaying consistency of late, taking the lion’s share of the starts. The Sabres figured that they had their No. 1 goalie when they signed him to a new deal, and it looks like they guessed correctly.
Thompson Looking Like 2022-23 Tage
One of the keys to the Sabres making the playoffs this season was the return to form of top center Tage Thompson. He exploded into prominence during the 2022-23 season, achieving career-highs in goals (47), assists (47), and points (94) as the Sabres narrowly missed the playoffs.
After a difficult season marred by injury, it looks like that Thompson has returned. He scored in the win over the Flames, his 10th in 15 games to begin the season. At his current pace, he would finish with 54 goals and 92 points.
His impact on the score sheet is evident, but his chemistry with Alex Tuch and J.J. Peterka has given the Sabres a legitimate top line once more. Peterka is playing at a point-per-game clip with Tuch just below the pace. Thompson was counted on to lead the team and has done so in spades to start the season.
This Is a Better Defensive Team Than in Recent Years
Team defense has been downright putrid over the past few seasons, so head coach Lindy Ruff had to get this aspect of the team squared away when he signed back on. Through the first 15 games of the season, it can be argued that he has succeeded.
Currently, the Sabres are 11th in the NHL in goals against per game (tied for 10th, actually), allowing 3.07 goals per game. You can see the team having far fewer positional breakdowns than in past seasons, led mostly by the two-way performance of Tuch, who leads the team in takeaways.
Good teams play good defense. It’s how they find ways to win when the offense just isn’t there. The penalty kill, which had begun the season less than ideal, has now climbed to 18th in the NHL. You can see the team coming together, believing in the system, and delivering better defensive hockey than Sabres fans have been used to.
Key Stretch for the Sabres
This is the second three-game winning streak for the Sabres. The first one ended with a three-game losing streak, but the schedule lines up for a Sabres run. They host the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues, then have the Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks on the road over their next six games.
The Sabres must win four of these games if they are going to seriously be a threat for the playoffs. Good teams beat the teams they are supposed to beat and four of those teams are the worst in the NHL. This looks and feels like a different team, so here’s hoping that they don’t falter during what should be a very winnable stretch of games.
