Sabres Slicing Through Competition

The Buffalo Sabres are… winning? Yup, you read that correctly. The Buffalo Sabres are currently one of the EHE’s hottest teams as they are on a 7-game winning streak. It is the first season under Roberto’s management where the Buffalo Sabres are in contention for a playoff spot. The Sabres tend to start the season very hot, and then fizzle out after a dozen games. While that trend certainty looked to have repeated itself again at the beginning this season, we’re just over the half-way mark and the Sabres are in the thick of things.

While they may not be seen as a contender with the likes of some of the best teams in the league, the Sabres are producing lately and getting wins. This is, obviously, mainly due to their top line. It’s no secret what this line can do, having the main driver being Auston Matthews, who is currently leading the league in points (30G – 42A – 72P). Matthews has elevated his game so far this season, surpassing his point totals from last season in just 44 games. The rest of that line – Kyle Connor and David Kampf – are not ones to be forgotten, as Connor has 55 points (18G – 37A), while Kampf falls with just 19 points (8G – 11A).

Auston Matthews' incredible season so far fueling the charge

On this current 7 game winning streak the Sabres’ top line has combined for 31 points (Matthews 12 / Connor 12 / Kampf 7), scoring 56.5% of the team’s goals over this stretch. Also impressive is the fact that only in one of the seven games have all 3 of them been shut out, which came in a 2-1 shootout win against the Blue Jackets.

While the offense is being driven by the top line, perhaps an even more interesting story is Kari Lehtonen. Signed by the Sabres to be their backup goalie, he has come in and become a huge support between the pipes when Varlamov looked shaky. Over the span of this winning streak Lehtonen is boasting a 7-0-0 record, 0.942 SV%, and a 1.81 GAA. This has been much needed, as the Sabres have given up 30 or more shots in five of the seven games.

Kari Lehtonen's recent play has been a huge reason the Sabres are where they are

 The Sabres currently sit 5^th in the Atlantic division and 9^th in the Lemieux conference. Their current streak hasn’t been enough to get them in to a playoff spot just yet, as both the Leafs and Bruins are as hot as they are, both boasting an 8-1-1 record over their last 10. The Sabres look to continue their streak tomorrow night in Edmonton against a team who has not been playing well as of late. They hope to capitalize on that and take advantage of every opportunity to gain points in the standings, as they would like to make the playoffs for the first time under Roberto’s tenure.