Maybe the season isn’t over after all! The return of Kyle Okposo and Dmitri Kulikov gave the Sabres a much needed shot in the arm for their trip west.

Kulikov was out for both Edmonton goals but also did well distributing the puck on the breakout throughout the game. His first pass is terrific and I suspect his impact will be that much stronger if and when he’s paired with Rasmus Ristolainen as the season progresses.

Okposo was the real star, however. He scored his first goal in a Sabres uniform minutes into the first and then set up Ryan O’Reilly with a beautiful pass on a powerplay later in the first. His skill is evident and although it was only one game, it’s hard not to say that he adds a dynamic to the roster they were lacking against Montreal and throughout last season. At the very least he pushes talent down the depth chart, at best he’s another dynamic offensive weapon to add to Buffalo’s growing arsenal.

Last night could have easily gotten away from the Sabres. The Oilers have started the season on fire with Connor McDavid garnering early whispers for an Art Ross run. Buffalo’s hot start was quickly erased by a pair of odd-man goals from the Oilers in which two rebounds found the back of the net to tie the game. Luckily the Sabres righted the ship and cruised to a comfortable 6-2 victory. But the two quick goals and another big opportunity early in the second could have really shifted the tone of this game.

Often with rebound goals the first person to receive blame is the goaltender. If a juicy rebound ends up in the slot it’s probably the fault of the goaltender for not controlling his rebounds. This is true to a degree as there are certainly times bad rebounds end up in prime scoring areas. Other times those same rebounds are a result of well placed shots. Continue reading →

Another Sabres season started with a dud as the Montreal Canadiens left Key Bank Center with a 4-1 win last night. Just over 24 hours after losing Jack Eichel for an extended period, Evander Kane left the arena on a stretcher and the Sabres were beaten up and down the ice by their division rivals.

As part of a new installment this season, I’ll take a look at the goals scored against the Sabres – and sometimes scored by the Sabres – from a goalie’s perspective. The idea is to identify potential reads and expectations for the Sabres goaltenders on goals that would otherwise be categorized as weak or bad.

Part of my motivation is to simply add to an otherwise one-sided conversation for fans who are otherwise unfamiliar with the nuances of the position. Additionally, the general outlook for the Sabres this season hinged on whether or not the goaltending could carry the load. After allowing four goals in the opener, it’s easy to form concern over Lehner’s play. Although his play last night was certainly better than the four goals and 20-save performance he turned in.

Lehner played in control the entire night and wasn’t stuck out of position or behind the play in any instance. While the first goal, despite the poor gap control from Josh Gorges and eventual high screen, was one that needed to be stopped. A shot from outside the circles on a one-on-one needs to be turned aside even with a late screen as occurred last night.

The same could be said of the fourth goal as Lehner had the puck sneak under his arm before it eventually trickled over the line. However, the defensive coverage on the play was so bad it’s hard to point one finger at Lehner despite the leaky nature of the goal.

Montreal’s third goal was easily forgivable as nearly any redirect goal should typically absolve the goaltender from responsibility. That leaves us with one goal where Lehner should carry no responsibility, one he should have stopped and another somewhere in the middle with perhaps a bit more blame laying at the feet of the Buffalo goaltender. The goal I’m leaving out is the second, which was an awkward goalmouth chip in that almost assuredly has drawn ire from armchair goaltending experts from around WNY.

The goal was a combination of a bad bounce and bad coverage with Lehner ultimately losing track of the puck before the goal was scored. Here’s a closer look: Continue reading →