Buffalo Sabres’ 3 Biggest Surprises So Far

It’s hard to say that the Buffalo Sabres are off to a “rough” start when they currently sit in a playoff position. Losing their second overtime game to the Montreal Canadiens in a handful of days doesn’t feel good, but it’s two points they wouldn’t have had otherwise.

The Sabres once again look like a formidable group, but consistency eludes them. Through nine games so far this season, there are a few things that stand out as significant surprises both individually and from a team standpoint.

Owen Power’s Ascension

Without a doubt, the single biggest story of the young season has been the play of Owen Power. Those watching him on a nightly basis last season and into the playoffs might not be surprised that he’s playing well, but few could have expected him to take such a leap forward.

Through nine games, he’s third on the team in scoring with eight points and is tied for the team-lead with six assists. Both his goals were overtime winners. He is on an incredible 0.89 points per game pace so far, though that will almost certainly come down.

More impressively, Power is averaging a career-high 26:45 of ice time and looking calmly dominant while doing so. Even with Rasmus Dahlin out, the Sabres haven’t looked all that much worse for the wear defensively and a big part of that is the play of Power.

The Complete Falloff of the Goaltending

Buffalo’s goaltending trio of Alex Lyon, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Colten Ellis is a major reason the team made the playoffs a season ago. Right now, they are also a major reason the Sabres have been so inconsistent on a nightly basis.

Luukkonen flashes the potential to be a high-end goalie but his 3.59 goals against average and .860 save percentage show how inconsistent he is. Ellis is likewise having an up-and-downs tart with a marginally better .864 save percentage and 3.19 goals against. Lyon, unfortunately, remains hurt.

A trade for Connor Hellebuyck could potentially fix these issues, but you can’t really bank on that. Having Lyon back will help and the platoon approach can help to mitigate some of the streakiness that Ellis and Luukkonen have displayed. Even still, there needs to be more consistency out of this group.

A Lack of Scoring from Critical Pieces

Jack Quinn is off to a hot start, as is Tage Thompson. Mattias Samuelsson is doing everything he can to show that last season’s offensive outburst wasn’t an aberration. Past that, it’s a lot of inconsistency, and a few of the more talked about names aren’t quite delivering.

Zach Benson is tied with Power for the team lead in assists but hasn’t scored a goal. Jiri Kulich has looked decent so far but has just one goal to his name. Josh Doan is clearly fighting through something and has a goal and an assist to his name.

The Sabres will get some help from the returning Jason Zucker, who should give a struggling power play a bit of a boost. Past that, it is just about the young core finding some consistency in their game and trying to make the most of opportunities as they arise.

A Good Team Trying to Find its Footing

While some are looking for the flaws in the team’s 4-3-2 start, the Sabres should feel good. They have navigated a slew of injuries, inconsistent goaltending, a largely anemic power play, and still find themselves in the second wild card spot.

In a tough Eastern Conference, the Sabres are going to need all the points they can get. By not starting behind the eight-ball once again – the Sabres were abysmal until early December last season – they set themselves up to be in a stronger position as the season unfolds. There is a lot of hockey left and the Sabres are doing well to tread water right now.