Buffalo Sabres season preview
The Buffalo Sabres are seeking to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season. They are one of the sexiest teams to watch going into this season, as they were knocking on the door of the postseason last year, only missing out by one point. There were a ton of positives to take away from the 2022-23 campaign for this young group, and they will be a ton of fun to watch this year.
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Offense
Buffalo’s offense was driven by Tage Thompson, who became a household name among NHL fans last season after tallying 47 goals and 47 assists for 94 points in 78 games played. As a group, they finished as the third-best offensive team (3.57 GF/GP) and had the ninth-best power play (23.4%). Thompson’s line, which included Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch, is going to be scary for all opponents. Skinner tallied 35 goals and 47 assists, while Tuch added 36 goals and 43 assists last season.
Dylan Cozens, Victor Olofsson, Casey Middlestadt and Rasmus Dahlin from the back end are other guys that can step up and provide offense for this Buffalo team. They have a ton of young talent up front.
Defense
If the Sabres were just a little bit better in their own end last season, they would have without a doubt been in the playoffs. They finished in the bottom 10 of the league in multiple defensive categories such as expected goals against per 60 (3.30) and high-danger chances against per 60 (13.67). They’ve strengthened their blue line a bit this offseason by adding Connor Clifton and Stanley Cup Champion Erik Johnson.
The Sabres have to be a much better team in their own end this season and an area that needs to be a whole lot better is their penalty kill, which finished fifth-worst in the league last season (73%). Dahlin and Owen Power will help this blue line have a stronger season in 2023-24.
Goaltending
There is a three-way battle for the Sabres’ starting goaltender position between Devon Levi, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Eric Comrie. But to me, Levi is the guy. Goaltending is certainly the biggest question for this team after Craig Anderson announced his retirement. Luukkonen skated to a 17-11-4 record last season which was solid, but with the future of the organization in Levi’s hands, it should be him who owns the blue paint this season. Levi’s ceiling is incredibly high and there could be some growing pains, but I think he can get this team into the playoffs in his rookie season.
Player To Watch – G Devon Levi
Levi isn’t guaranteed to be the starting goaltender just yet, but I have no doubt that he is going to be their guy. He has only appeared in seven career games, but he skated to five wins with a .905 save percentage. This kid is a legit goaltender. He won back-to-back Mike Richter Awards as college hockey’s best goalie, and I feel strongly that his name will be in the mix for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year which is +1200 on the DraftKings Sportsbook. Levi is going to be a stud.
Outlook
Like I said before, the Sabres are the sexy team in the NHL with the amount of young talent that they have on their roster going into this season. The hype is warranted and if they can tighten up defensively, this team will be very scary this year. I think Thompson could put up 100 points this season which will help Buffalo be a playoff team.
