BUFFALO, N.Y. [WKBW] — In a year when the Buffalo Sabres had sky-high expectations they once again failed to meet them. For the 13th consecutive season, the Sabres have missed the playoffs, extending the league-worst drought another season. No other team has a drought longer than seven seasons.
For the Sabres this year was a big step back. Last season they missed the playoffs by a point and made a strong push at the end of the season. It felt like the team was heading in the right direction and destined to end the drought this season. But from the day the puck dropped on the 2023-2024 season, the Sabres have continued to disappoint.
WATCH: Another season of failed expectations and lingering questions for the Buffalo Sabres
No stat is more telling than the one pointed out by Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. He notes that since November 30 the Sabres have played six games where they found themselves within four points of a playoff spot. In those games, they are 0-6. Every time the Sabres could put themselves back into the conversation they came up short.
So where did it all go wrong?
This is a loaded question, but the answer isn't that complicated.
This season the Sabres had above-average goaltending but lost their scoring touch and started most games playing from behind.
According to Hockey Reference, the Sabres have a first-period goal differential of minus-32, the worst mark in the NHL. To their credit, they have a positive goal differential in both the second and third periods, but slow starts haunted them this season and often put them into too deep of a hole.
As for the scoring in general, the Sabres scored 296 goals last season. This year, with four games left to play, the Sabres have 234 goals. Aside from J.J. Peterka (28 goals), almost every other key player saw a significant dip in production.
Tage Thompson:
47 goals in 2022-2023
29 goals this season
Dylan Cozens:
31 goals in 2022-2023
15 goals this season
Jeff Skinner:
35 goals in 2022-2023
24 goals this season
Alex Tuch:
36 goals in 2022-2023
21 goals this season
To blame the struggles on any individual player would be misguided. This is a failure across the board. As the Sabres shifted their focus to playing more sound defensive hockey they forgot who to score. And making matters worse was the power play.
It’s baffling how disjointed the Sabres power play is.
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) November 17, 2022
It has been something I've criticized time and time again on social media since the season started. The power play will finish the season with around a 17% success rate. With the talent they have on their team that isn't close to good enough. The entire system felt flawed and out of sync.
Now the team needs to figure out where they go from here. The first big question will be do GM Kevyn Adams and head coach Don Granato return? My best guess is yes, but we shall see. Continuity is valuable, but it's hard to justify running it back with the same staff after such a disappointing year. What I think happens is Adams and Granato stay, but all the assistant coaches are let go. Adams will hire a veteran assistant to work alongside Granato, who will be in line to take over if the Sabres struggle out of the gate.
So here we find ourselves again, another season without playoff hockey in Buffalo. I'd like to say that will change next season, but after this past year, I'm not nearly as optimistic about the future as I once was.
