The lineup looked a little different for the Buffalo Sabres as they took on the New York Islanders. In an attempt to get a few players going, the lines were shaken up a bit. Coming off a 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers, it was important that the Sabres not get mired in a slump.
Yet here we sit in the wake of a 4-3 loss to the Islanders, the Sabres’ second in a row. While the disappointment is definitely palpable, there are a few key takeaways to look at. Let’s get into it to see what we can learn from the latest loss for the Sabres.
Jason Zucker Has Been an Excellent Fit
The one glaringly obvious bright side was the play of Jason Zucker. After last night’s performance, Zucker is tied for second on the team in points and is in a five-way tie for the team lead in assists with six. He’s simply delivered above and beyond expectations for a Sabres team looking to seriously improve this season.
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On Friday night, he delivered a Gordie Howe hat trick – a goal, an assist, and a fight. The fight, in particular, delivered a spark of energy to a team that seems to have trouble maintaining it this season. The fact that he also scored the first two goals of the season for a slumping power play only underscores his value.
Perhaps more importantly, Zucker got a little life out of the struggling Dylan Cozens. Cozens got on the board early with his first of the season and the sheer elation on his face was unmistakable. Hopefully, this is a mutually beneficial relationship moving forward.
About Rasmus Dahlin
Rasmus Dahlin is not having the kind of season most envisioned. His first season as captain of the Sabres has gotten off to a slow start, though he is beginning to see a quiet uptick in his offensive output. Yet for someone who should be conceivably contending for a Norris Trophy, it doesn’t quite feel like it’s enough.
He’s been dealing with injuries off and on since the first session of training camp. He’s been noticeably unnoticeable, not making grievous errors but not standing out in the way that we’ve come to expect from the young Swedish defender.
This is a long season and the fact that he’s starting to gather more assists is an encouraging sign. It would be nice to see him stand out a bit more on the power play, something that would no doubt help drag that pathetic unit out of the depths of the league’s basement.
The Goaltending Is Inconsistent
This game may have been a microcosm of the goaltending situation in Buffalo so far this season. Devon Levi wasn’t bad – in fact, he was pretty good until he took himself way out of position on the fourth and decisive goal by the Islanders. He turned away 32 of 36 shots on the night, a decent effort on the whole.
Coming into the season, many felt like the Sabres had a borderline top-15 goaltending combination. Yet here we sit through 11 games, both goalies carrying inflated goals against averages and sub-.900 save percentages. There are flashes of what we came to expect from them, but flashes just aren’t enough.
The Sabres thought they were getting consistently quality play in net between Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Instead, it’s been a guessing game as to when each player would find a groove and how long it would last. UPL will no doubt be the next man up against the Detroit Red Wings and he needs to find his stride.
Sabres Are Too Inconsistent
It’s probably going to be said quite a bit this season, but this feels a lot like the same old Sabres in more vague ways. They play with an improved toughness compared to seasons past, but the effort doesn’t feel like it’s there consistently for 60 minutes every night. There are flashes of dominance and even longer spells of frustration.
Delivering for 60 minutes a night over 82 games is virtually impossible. But the thing that separates the good teams from those like the Sabres is that the core looks past the excuses to find solutions. They find that extra something that allows them to capture games they conceivably shouldn’t win. That’s what’s been missing from the Sabres and there is no sign that it’s been found.
