2011/12 Team stats--March

One more week in the regular season, three games to play, two points out of a playoff spot.

The Buffalo Sabres have been on a tear since losing their third in a row in regulation on February 16th. The following night they garnered a point vs. Montreal which helped them finish the month with a 5-0-2 record and a ticket out of the 14th spot in the Eastern Conference.

They continued that a strong pace throughout March going 10-4-2. But the last two regulation losses vs. Pittsburgh March 30 and at Toronto March 31 put a damper on their record. It also put a damper on their playoff aspirations as the team fell two points behind Washington for the eighth and final playoff spot.

But...there are still three games to go.

The big news for the team was the ramifications of the trade deadline. Gone was defensive stalwart and faceoff specialist Paul Gaustad (to Nashville for a #1 pick) and in came center Cody Hodgson and defenseman Alexander Sulzer (for Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani.)

On the surface the trade-off was more offense in the top-six for less defense. Looking at the stats, it would seem as if that was the case with the Sabres going from 25th in the league in goals/game to 18th.

It took Hodgson 10 games to register his first point but he and his linemates--Thomas Vanek and Corey Tropp--eventually started hitting the scoresheet with regularity during the last couple of weeks.

The biggest contributing factor to the jump in goals/game was the Tyler Ennis/Drew Stafford/ Marcus Foligno line. In the 11 games since the rookie Foligno was called-up, and that line put together, they tallied an impressive 20 goals, 24 assists and were a combined plus-34.)

On the defensive side the loss of Gaustad meant little stats-wise as the gaa got slightly better (goalie Ryan Miller had an outstanding month) while shots against, penalty kill and faceoff percentage all registered very little movement.

One would need to question whether or not "Goose" could've prevented goals with less than five seconds on consecutive nights (Montreal and Colorado) that sent the games past regulation. The Sabres did manage to beat Montreal but lost to Colorado and lost a critical point.

The formula for success this past month has been stellar goaltending and increased scoring. It was a formula that had the team in eighth place twice, albeit for a very short period of time.

That was until the team went out like a lamb.

Wins:

• October--6 (T-9th)
• November--13 (T-10th)
• December--17 (T-23rd)
• January--21 (24th)
• February--28 (T-22nd)
• March:   38 (18th)

Points:

• October--12 (12th)
• November--27 (T 15th)
• December--38 (T-23rd)
• January--47 (T-24th)
• February--64 (T-23rd)
• March:   86 (T-19th)

Eastern Conference Standing:

• October--7th
• November-7th
• December-11th
• January--T-14th
• February--12th
• March:   9th

Northeast Division Standing:

• October--3rd
• November--3rd
• December--4th
• January--T-4th
• February--4th
• March:   3rd

Goals/Game:

• October--2.90 (8th)...(#1, Wash-3.78)
• November--2.75 (15th)...(Philly-3.48)
• December--2.58 (T-17th)...(Bos-3.43)
• January--2.38 (26th)...(Bos-3.54)
• February--2.38 (25th)...(Philly-3.24)
• March:  2.54 (18th)...(Pitt-3.27)

Shots/Game:

• October--29.4 (18th)...(#1, Det-35.7)
• November--30.9 (10th)...(Det-34.9)
• December--29.0 (T-19th)...(SJS-34.6)
• January--28.8 (20th)..(SJS-34.7)
• February--28.9 (19th)...(SJS-34.4)
• March:  29.1 (18th)...(SJS-34.1)

Goals Against/Game:

• October--2.20 (T-5th)...(#1, Edm-1.46)
• November--2.58 (T-14th)...(STL-2.00)
• December--2.90 (23rd)...Bos-1.91)
• January--2.96 (25th)...(STL-1.96)
• February--2.79 (20th)...(STL-1.91)
• March:  2.70 (T-18th)...(STL-1.86)

Shots Against/Game:

• October--31.9 (22nd)...(#1, STL-25.9)
• November--31.1 (21st)...(STL-25.6)
• December--31.3 (T-24th)...(STL-26.5)
• January--31.3 (26th)...(STL-26.2)
• February--31.3 (27th)...(STL-26.2)
• March:   31.3 (T-26th)...(STL-26.5)

Five-On-Five GF/GA Ratio:

• October--1.43 (2nd)...(#1, WSH-1.64)
• November--1.12 (T-7th)...(BOS-1.71)
• December--0.93 (20th)...(BOS-1.83)
• January--0.87 (22nd)...(BOS-1.72)
• February--0.96 (15th)...(DET-1.52)
• March:   1.04 (11th)...(DET-1.45)

Powerplay:

• October--21.9% (8th)...(#1, OTT-31.0%)
• November--18.4 (10th)...(VAN-24.8)
• December--19.0 (9th)...(VAN-24.2)
• January--17.8 (T-16th)...(VAN-23.0)
• February--16.2 (21st)...(EDM-21.7)
• March:   16.4 (19th)...(NSH-22.0)

Penalty Kill:

• October--91.9% (2nd)...(#1, PIT-92.3%)
• November--87.6 (5th)...(NJD--94.4)
• December--84.2 (9th)...(NJD--91.2)
• January--81.4 (20th)...(MTL--89.6)
• February--80.8 (21st)...(MTL- 89.3)
• March:  81.7 (19th)...(NJD-89.8)

Faceoffs:

• October--50.8% (11th)...(#1, Col-54.7%)
• November--51.3 (T-9th)...(BOS-55.0)
• December--51.0 (11th)...(BOS--55.4)
• January--49.6 (T-18th)...(BOS--55)
• February--49.6 (19th)...(BOS--54.7)
• March:   49.4 (19th)...(BOS-54.6)

2011/12 Team Stats--February

A quick flashback to January had the Sabres end that month in 14th place, nine points out of an playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With a win on the road at New Jersey before the All-Star break, they stopped the bleeding of a franchise-record 12-game road losing streak.

They ended the month of January with a win versus Montreal giving them back-to-back wins for the first time since November.

The healing process continued in February with the team going 7-3-3. The NY Rangers handed them a loss to begin the month (a 1-0 shootout loss,) then had a three game win streak followed by a four game winless streak (0-3-1) and finished strong going 4-0-1.

Thanx to the parity that reigns in the conference, and the fall from grace by Toronto, the Sabres now sit in 12th place, five points back of a playoff spot and they've managed to really tightened things up.

The trade deadline came and went, with the Sabres trading one integral part on the defensive side--Paul Gaustad--but bringing in one part on the offensive side--Cody Hodgson.

They begin the month of March on the west coast tonight in the second game of a back-to-back against San Jose'. All-in-all, the team will play four on the road before returning home March 7 when Carolina visits.

"As Miller goes, so go the Sabres."

As of late, no truer words have been said, unless you'd like to add the defense in there as well.

In the last five games, the team has given up two goals or less in regulation and have two shutouts (vs. Boston, 6-0 and at Anaheim, 2-0.) The play of Miller and his defense has helped the team bring down their goals against average by .20 (which is significant) and helped them move five spots up and into the top-20 gaa--with the same amount of shots against per game.

That's the main reason that they've been able to make some progress in the standings for the offense has remained stagnant.

As the team heads into March, their playoff push will take on a somewhat different dynamic as the team, in effect, traded defensive/faceoff prowess (Gaustad) for more offense/secondary scoring (Hodgson.)

Here's a look at their team stats for March.


Wins:

• October--6 (T-9th)
• November--13 (T-10th)
• December--17 (T-23rd)
• January--21 (24th)
• February--28 (T-22nd)

Points:

• October--12 (12th)
• November--27 (T 15th)
• December--38 (T-23rd)
• January--47 (T-24th)
• February--64 (T-23rd)

Eastern Conference Standing:

• October--7th
• November-7th
• December-11th
• January--T-14th
• February--12th

Northeast Division Standing:

• October--3rd
• November--3rd
• December--4th
• January--T-4th
• February--4th

Goals/Game:

• October--2.90 (8th)...(#1, Wash-3.78)
• November--2.75 (15th)...(Philly, 3.48)
• December--2.58 (T-17th)...(Bos, 3.43)
• January--2.38 (26th)...(Bos, 3.54)
• February--2.38 (25th)...(Philly, 3.24)

Shots/Game:

• October--29.4 (18th)...(#1, Det-35.7)
• November--30.9 (10th)...(Det-34.9)
• December--29.0 (T-19th)...(SJS-34.6)
• January--28.8 (20th)..(SJS-34.7)
• February--28.9 (19th)...(SJS-34.4) 

Goals Against/Game:

• October--2.20 (T-5th)...(#1, Edm-1.46)
• November--2.58 (T-14th)...(STL-2.00)
• December--2.90 (23rd)...Bos-1.91)
• January--2.96 (25th)...(STL-1.96)
• February--2.79 (20th)...(STL-1.91)

Shots Against/Game:

• October--31.9 (22nd)...(#1, STL-25.9)
• November--31.1 (21st)...(STL-25.6)
• December--31.3 (T-24th)...(STL-26.5)
• January--31.3 (26th)...(STL-26.2)
• February--31.3 (27th)...(STL-26.2) 

Five-On-Five GF/GA Ratio:

• October--1.43 (2nd)...(#1, Wash-1.64)
• November--1.12 (T-7th)...(Bos-1.71)
• December--0.93 (20th)...(Bos-1.83)
• January--0.87 (22nd)...(Bos-1.72)
• February--0.96 (15th)...(Det-1.52)

Powerplay:

• October--21.9% (8th)...(#1, Ott-31.0%)
• November--18.4 (10th)...(Van-24.8)
• December--19.0 (9th)...(Van-24.2)
• January--17.8 (T-16th)...(Van-23.0)
• February--16.2 (21st)...(Edm-21.7) 

Penalty Kill:

• October--91.9% (2nd)...(#1, Pit-92.3%)
• November--87.6 (5th)...(NJD--94.4)
• December--84.2 (9th)...(NJD--91.2)
• January--81.4 (20th)...(MTL--89.6)
• February--80.8 (21st)...(MTL- 89.3) 

Faceoffs:

• October--50.8% (11th)...(#1, Col-54.7%)
• November--51.3 (T-9th)...(BOS-55.0)
• December--51.0 (11th)...(BOS--55.4)
• January--49.6 (T-18th)...(BOS--55)
• February--49.6 (19th)...(BOS--54.7

2011/12 Team Stats--January

The tailspin which basically began with the Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller incident in November continued well into January as the Sabres continued their decent towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Could they possibly be worse than the 4-7-3 mark they had in December? Nope. But pretty damn close. They still only managed four wins, matched their seven losses, and had they played two more games, there's the possibility that they would have.

During the month, the team extended a road losing streak that reached a franchise-worse 12 games, stopped by a 2-1 shootout win in New Jersey before the All-Star break. They bookended the break with a win at Montreal last night for their first 2-game win streak since the Lucic incident. Of note, since that hit on Miller the team has gone 11-19-5.

With the two-game streak to end January, Buffalo seems to have stopped the bleeding, although they jump back into it tonight vs. Eastern Conference leaders, the New York Rangers. A stiff test, to say the least, but a team that the Sabres have had some success with in the past.

Every team stat trended downward last month, most notably scoring. The team scored 18 goals in 12 games, were shut out twice and were held to one goal three times. Although there was a slight decline in shots/game, goals/game plummeted from an already poor 2.58 (17th in the league) to 2.38 (26th.)

Goaltending couldn't bail the team out as their goals against average dropped once again. Injuries on defense decimated the club and there could be a case that Miller was suffering the affects of the Lucic hit up until the last two weeks of January when it seems as if he got his reflexes back. He gave up one goal the last two games, albeit vs. teams without the offensive firepower of a Philadelphia, Chicago or Vancouver.

February is a crucial month for the team with the trade deadline being the 27th. The team looks to be sellers come then, the first time in 10 years, unless they put together an impressive run. They sit nine points out of a playoff spot with five teams to jump.

Impossible? By no means. Improbable? Not really. Long-shot? I'd say so. Every team in that mix has flaws, just like the Sabres...

but...

Buffalo will need to go on a run without their leading goal scorer, Thomas Vanek. Vanek suffered an "upper body injury" after a collision. He will miss some time, maybe weeks.

Year to date team stats:

Wins:

• October--6 (T-9th)
• November--13 (T-10th)
• December--17 (T-23rd)
• January--21 (24th)

Points:

• October--12 (12th)
• November--27 (T 15th)
• December--38 (T-23rd)
• January--47 (T-24th)

Eastern Conference Standing:

• October--7th
• November-7th
• December-11th
• January--T-14th

Northeast Division Standing:

• October--3rd
• November--3rd
• December--4th
• January--T-4th 

Goals/Game:

• October--2.90 (8th)...(#1, Wash-3.78)
• November--2.75 (15th)...(Philly, 3.48)
• December--2.58 (T-17th)...(Bos, 3.43)
• January--2.38 (26th)...(Bos, 3.54) 

Shots/Game:

• October--29.4 (18th)...(#1, Det-35.7)
• November--30.9 (10th)...(Det-34.9)
• December--29.0 (T-19th)...(SJS-34.6)
• January--28.8 (20th)..(SJS-34.7)

Goals Against/Game:

• October--2.20 (T-5th)...(#1, Edm-1.46)
• November--2.58 (T-14th)...(STL, 2.00)
• December--2.90 (23rd)...Bos, 1.91)
• January--2.96 (25th)...(STL, 1.96)

Shots Against/Game:

• October--31.9 (22nd)...(#1, STL-25.9)
• November--31.1 (21st)...(STL-25.6)
• December--31.3 (T-24th)...(STL-26.5)
• January--31.3 (26th)...(STL-26.2)

Five-On-Five GF/GA Ratio:

• October--1.43 (2nd)...(#1, Wash-1.64)
• November--1.12 (T-7th)...(Bos-1.71)
• December--0.93 (20th)...(Bos-1.83)
• January--0.87 (22nd)...(Bos-1.72)

Powerplay:

• October--21.9% (8th)...(#1, Ott-31.0%)
• November--18.4 (10th)...(Van-24.8)
• December--19.0 (9th)...(Van-24.2)
• January--17.8 (T-16th)...(Van-23.0)

Penalty Kill:

• October--91.9% (2nd)...(#1, Pit-92.3%)
• November--87.6 (5th)...(NJD--94.4)
• December--84.2 (9th)...(NJD--91.2)
• January--81.4 (20th)...(Mon--89.6)

Faceoffs:

• October--50.8% (11th)...(#1, Col-54.7%)
• November--51.3 (T-9th)...(Bos-55.0)
• December--51.0 (11th)...(Bos--55.4)
• January--49.6 (T-18th)...(Bos--55)

2011/12 Team Stats--December

December can be looked at as a leveling off of overall team stats. Some teams have hot starts here and there while others are slower in some areas. But with nearly half the games played for the season, league leaders are settling into their pace while the other teams make movements behind them.

As for the Buffalo Sabres, they've made movements, unfortunately in the wrong direction.

October and November leaned heavily towards lower-eschelon opponents, December was quite the opposite. Of their 14 games, nine were against teams in the top-8 of their conferences while no opponent was at or near the bottom of their conference.

That factored into the Sabres going 4-7-3 for the month, and if the powers that be were not concerned before, they should be concerned now. In fact, the Sabres found themselves ending the 2011 calender year going 1-5-1 in the second half of the month.

The Sabres could do nothing right last month and it showed in their precipitous drop in the standings. Where once they were thought to have a solid goaltending tandem, Ryan Miller and Johnas Enroth's goals against average went from 2.58 to 2.90. Youch! Granted, Enroth played very little and Miller still isn't back fully from his concussion issues, but "couldn't stop a beachball" aptly describes how Miller played.

Poor goaltending (and ultimately poor defensive play) could have been offset by more scoring, but they continued to struggle landing in the middle of the league. Their goals-for has dropped each month, although not as far as shots/game. Another troubling sign is that they scored one goal in five contests for the month, seven times in the last 17 games dating back to November.

Special teams have been solid through this morass, with both maintaining their pace and both, surprisingly, in the top-ten. But five-on-five they've plummeted from 2nd in October to 7th in November to 20th in December.

Although you can use their inordinate amount of injuries as an excuse, their five-on-five compete seems to be a major factor in their drop in the standings from 7th in the conference to 11th.

Quick note:  since the Milan Lucic hit on Ryan Miller in early November the team has gone 7-12-4.


Year to date team stats


Wins:

• October--6 (T-9th)
• November--13 (T-10th)
• December--17 (T-23rd) 

Points:

• October--12 (12th)
• November--27 (T 15th)
• December--38 (T-23rd) 

Eastern Conference Standing:

• October--7th
• November-7th
• December-11th 

Northeast Division Standing:

• October--3rd
• November--3rd
• December--4th 

Goals/Game:

• October--2.90 (8th)...(#1, Wash-3.78)
• November--2.75 (15th)...(Philly, 3.48)
• December--2.58 (T-17th)...(Bos, 3.43) 

Shots/Game:

• October--29.4 (18th)...(#1, Det-35.7)
• November--30.9 (10th)...(Det-34.9)
• December--29.0 (T-19th)...(SJS-34.6) 

Goals Against/Game:

• October--2.20 (T-5th)...(#1, Edm-1.46)
• November--2.58 (T-14th)...(Stl, 2.00)
• December--2.90 (23rd)...Bos, 1.91) 

Shots Against/Game:

• October--31.9 (22nd)...(#1, Stl-25.9)
• November--31.1 (21st)...(STL-25.6)
• December--31.3 (T-24th)...(STL-26.5) 

Five-On-Five GF/GA Ratio:

• October--1.43 (2nd)...(#1, Wash-1.64)
• November--1.12 (T-7th)...(Bos-1.71)
• December--0.93 (20th)...(Bos-1.83) 

Powerplay:

• October--21.9% (8th)...(#1, Ott-31.0%)
• November--18.4 (10th)...(Van-24.8)
• December--19.0 (9th)...(Van-24.2)

Penalty Kill:

• October--91.9% (2nd)...(#1, Pit-92.3%)
• November--87.6 (5th)...(NJD--94.4)
• December--84.2 (9th)...(NJD--91.2)

Faceoffs:

• October--50.8% (11th)...(#1, Col-54.7%)
• November--51.3 (T-9th)...(Bos-55.0)
• December--51.0 (11th)...(Bod--55.4)

2011/12 Team Stats--November

After a hot 5-2 start to the month of November, the Sabres cooled considerably and closed out the month with a 2-4-1 stretch.

The Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller incident is worth noting for a number of reasons (including the media attention surrounding it.) The hit and the ensuing 6-2 drubbing at the hands of the Bruins was a big hit to the Sabres confidence. Up until that game the Sabres were 2nd in the conference having started out the month going 4-1 (it should be noted that their only loss was against a playoff team, Philly, and their four wins came against non-playoff teams--Calgary, Ottawa (2,) and Winnipeg).

Not only did the Lucic/Miller incident begin a slide that saw the Sabres go 3-5-1, it contributed by sending Miller to the sidelines for the rest of the month. Jhonas Enroth was thrust into the starting role and, although playing admirably, his numbers came back down to earth. Combine that with Miller's incredibly poor November, and you have a team that went from 5th to 14th in goals against average.

The Sabres may have been able to overcome that had the team continued it's goals/game pace, but that dropped as well going from 2.90 (8th) to 2.75 (15th.)

Everything else pretty much stayed the same including their Eastern Conference/Northeast Division standing.

A parade of injuries which at one point sidelined nine regulars is coming to an end as the walking wounded return. Miller may be back as soon as this weekend and Tyler Ennis early next week. Others vary from day-to-day to week-to-week.

Regardless, the Sabres have a very tough schedule coming up against a boat-load of playoff teams. In order to at least keep pace they'll need to drop their goals against and bury scoring opportunities as witnessed by their increase in shots/game and decrease in goals/game. They'll need to do this with a few Rochester Americans in the line-up as well and, if rumor be true, trade winds swirling between Buffalo and Anaheim.

Year to date team stats

Wins:

• October--6 (T-9th)
• November--13 (T-10th)

Points:

• October--12 (12th)
• November--27 (T 15th)

Eastern Conference Standing:

• October--7th
• November-7th

Northeast Division Standing:

• October--3rd
• November--3rd

Goals/Game:

• October--2.90 (8th)...(#1, Wash-3.78)
• November--2.75 (15th)...(Philly, 3.48)

Shots/Game:

• October--29.4 (18th)...(#1, Det-35.7)
• November--30.9 (10th)...(Det-34.9)

Goals Against/Game:

• October--2.20 (T-5th)...(#1, Edm-1.46)
• November--2.58 (T-14th)...(Stl, 2.00)

Shots Against/Game:

• October--31.9 (22nd)...(#1, Stl-25.9)
• November--31.1 (21st)...(Stl-25.6)

Five-On-Five GF/GA Ratio:

• October--1.43 (2nd)...(#1, Wash-1.64)
• November--1.12 (T-7th)...(Bos-1.71)

Powerplay:

• October--21.9% (8th)...(#1, Ott-31.0%)
• November--18.4 (10th)...(Van-24.8)

Penalty Kill:

• October--91.9% (2nd)...(#1, Pit-92.3%)
• November--87.6 (5th)...(NJD--94.4)

Faceoffs:

• October--50.8% (11th)...(#1, Col-54.7%)
• November--51.3 (T-9th)...(Bos-55.0)

2011/12 Team Stats--October

At 6-4 on the season, the Buffalo Sabres sit in third place in the N.E. division, 7th in the Eastern Conference and 12th in the league with 12 points.

After a very hot start which saw them go 3-0 then 5-1, the team took a bit of a nose-dive by going 1-3 to finish off the month.

Overall, though, the team has shown a marked increase over last season in all areas. Perhaps the most definitive improvement has been on the faceoff dot. Last season they never ended the month higher than 26th in the league and finished 27th at 47.7%. This year they're over 50% and sit at #11 in the league.

Another area to look at is shots against/goals against. It would seem as if the they're playing a pretty good team defense keeping teams to the perimeter. And when their d breaks down they have a pretty good goaltending tandem as the last line of defense. They rank 22nd in the league in shots against but are tied for 5th in goals against. In addition, the penalty has been helped immensely by the addition of defenseman Robyn Regehr. They are presently 2nd in the league.

The Sabres shots per game total last season never dipped out of the top-five at the end of any month, yet this season they end October 18th in the league. But on the positive side, while last year they were doing a whole lot of shooting with not much scoring until the 2011 calendar year, this season they're already 8th. 
Lindy Ruff has had to integrate three new players into his system. It will take some time to get them playing as they should, but the 6-4 record and marked improvement across the board point to a pretty solid season.

Their Premier Series debut vs. Anaheim in Finland was about as complete a game as they've played all season. The Sabres haven't really come close to that as evidenced by their Jekyll/Hyde performance thus far. But that game vs. Anaheim shows how dominant this team can be.

It's a long hockey season, and invariably there will be ups and downs, but the key for this team will be to use the overall speed up-front to generate quality shots--and finish--while on the back-end they'll need to continue to force a perimeter game.

Here's how the Sabres fare league wide after the month of October.

Wins:

• October--6 (T-9th)

Points:

• October--12 (12th)

Eastern Conference Standing:

• October--7th

Northeast Division Standing:

• October--3rd

Goals/Game:

• October--2.90 (8th)...(#1, Wash-3.78)

Shots/Game:

• October--29.4 (18th)...(#1, Det-35.7)

Goals Against/Game:

• October--2.20 (T-5th)...(#1, Edm-1.46)

Shots Against/Game:

• October--31.9 (22nd)...(#1, Stl-25.9)

Five-On-Five GF/GA Ratio:

• October--1.43 (2nd)...(#1, Wash-1.64)

Powerplay:

• October--21.9% (8th)...(#1, Ott-31.0%)

Penalty Kill:

• October--91.9% (2nd)...(#1, Pit-92.3%)

Faceoffs:

• October--50.8% (11th)...(#1, Col-54.7%)