[tab: Offense]
One month down, six more to go! The Sabres went 6-4 during the month of October and currently sit behind Toronto and Ottawa in the Northeast Division. As we break down the specifics, here’s a look at the good and the bad of the opening month.
There are always players on any team who will surprise you, while others may disappoint. This season was welcomed with high expectations for Buffalo, with a few on-ice (and many off-ice) changes. Ville Leino, Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr have played for a month now with the team.
Ehrhoff seems to be the most comfortable, leading the Sabres in average ice time per game. He has also collected a goal and six assists in ten games.
Regehr has yet to put up a point, but is not known for his offense.
Leino has been struggling to say the least, scoring once and earning an assists, while putting up a -4. We’ve seen flashes of his potential and hard work, but for the most part, it doesn’t look like he has fit in completely…at least not yet.
Another disappointment thus far is the fact that Tyler Ennis has yet to earn a point at all. He did miss three games, but he’s one to keep an eye on going forward.
Meanwhile, the highest paid player on the team has come through. Regardless of what letter is on his jersey, Thomas Vanek has shown up and leads the Sabres in scoring with eight goals and seven assists for 15 points.
Sabres captain, Jason Pominville, has proved he is deserving of the “C”, by putting up 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in the first 10 games of the year. He has scored at least a point in all but two games.
One player that has opened the eyes and surprised a few has been Luke Adam, who collected six points (2 G, 4 A) in the team’s first four games of the season. He cooled off a bit after that, but currently has a three game point streak going and has nine points on the year.
There were many question marks surrounding Brad Boyes, and perhaps there still are. After registering just a lone assists in the first seven games, Boyes has found himself on the scoresheet. In the past three games, he has a pair of goals and three assists.
| Forwards: | ||||||
| Player | G | A | P | |||
| Thomas Vanek | 8 | 7 | 15 | |||
| Jason Pominville | 5 | 9 | 14 | |||
| Luke Adam | 3 | 6 | 9 | |||
| Brad Boyes | 2 | 4 | 6 | |||
| Nathan Gerbe | 2 | 4 | 6 | |||
| Drew Stafford | 3 | 2 | 5 | |||
| Derek Roy | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||
| Paul Gaustad | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Ville Leino | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Cody McCormick | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Matt Ellis | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Patrick Kaleta | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Tyler Ennis | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
[tab: Defense]
Say what you will about the defensive core, but the additions of Robyn Regehr and Christian Ehrhoff are paying off. Through the first month of the season, the Sabres have allowed 22 goals, which is best in the Eastern Conference.
Ehrhoff has led the Sabres in time on ice in every game this season, and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
The play in front of Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth has improved, allowing for some better performance from the goaltenders.
Of course, there have still been some defensive miscues, but for the most part, the Sabres have a strong defense. Mike Weber is just waiting for his chance to get in and contribute.
| Defensemen: | ||||||
| Player | Points | Avg. TOI | +/- | |||
| Christian Ehrhoff | 7 | 24:32 | -6 | |||
| Tyler Myers | 3 | 21:28 | +1 | |||
| Jordan Leopold | 3 | 21:06 | 9 | |||
| Robyn Regehr | 2 | 19:32 | +1 | |||
| Andrej Sekera | 2 | 17:26 | +6 | |||
| Marc-Andre Gragnani | 3 | 15:58 | +3 | |||
[tab: Goaltending]
After 10 games, Miller has started eight of them and won four times. Enroth has won both games in which he has played, allowing two goals in each.
| Goaltender’s stats home and away | ||||||
| Ryan Miller | Record | GAA | SV% | Shutouts | SVS-SA | Minutes |
| Home | 0-3 | 3.66 | .881 | 0 | 82-93 | 180:00 |
| Away | 2-1 | 1.00 | .967 | 1 | 85-88 | 180:00 |
| Jhonas Enroth | Record | GAA | SV% | Shutouts | SVS-SA | Minutes |
| Home | 1-0 | 2.00 | .953 | 0 | 41-43 | 60:00 |
| Away | 1-0 | 2.00 | .938 | 0 | 30-32 | 60:00 |
| *Does not include first two games of the season (played at neutral site). | ||||||
| Goaltender’s stats by period: | ||||||
| Ryan Miller | GAA | SV% | SVS-SA | Minutes | Shutouts | |
| 1st Period | 1.00 | .947% | 72-76 | 240:00 | 6 | |
| 2nd Period | 1.75 | .916% | 76-83 | 240:00 | 1 | |
| 3rd Period | 1.50 | .926% | 75-81 | 240:00 | 3 | |
| Overtime | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0-0 | 0:00 | 0 | |
| Jhonas Enroth | GAA | SV% | SA-SVS | Minutes | Shutouts | |
| 1st Period | 0.00 | 100 | 26-26 | 40:00 | 2 | |
| 2nd Period | 1.00 | .920 | 23-25 | 40:00 | 0 | |
| 3rd Period | 1.00 | .913 | 21-23 | 40:00 | 0 | |
| Overtime | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0-0 | 0:00 | 0 | |
[tab: Special Teams]
The Sabres power play is ranked 7th and the NHL and they are 4-1 when scoring at least one power play goal in a game.
The penalty kill is ranked 3rd in the league and is a huge reason they have won six games. Buffalo have allowed just two power play goals on the year out of 37 attempts.
| Powerplay and Penalty Kill: | ||||||
| Buffalo | PP | PP% | PK | PK% | ||
| Home | 5-22 | 22% | 24-25 | 96% | ||
| Away | 2-12 | 16% | 11-12 | 91% | ||
| Total | 7-35 | 20% | 35-37 | 94% | ||
[tab: Need to know]
Some facts you should know heading into November:
– The Sabres have allowed three or more goals in a game four times this season, all of which happened to be losses for Buffalo. In their six wins, the Sabres have allowed just eight goals.
– The Sabres goal differential of +7 is good for third in the league, behind Washington (+12) and Pittsburgh (+11)
– The Sabres are one of two teams in the Eastern Conference with no more than one loss on the road, with Philadelphia being the other team. Only two teams in the league have yet to win on the road (Islanders 0-2-1) and (Columbus 0-6).
– Early starts have assisted in the Sabres success on both offense and defense. The Sabres are outscoring their opponents, 9-4 in the first period. Buffalo are 5-2 when scoring first. On the backend, Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth have had a perfect 1st period eight times, out of 10 opportunities.
– The Sabres are 3-0 when leading after one period, and 6-0 when leading after two.