The Buffalo Sabres keep running into the same wall: they can get chances, they can control stretches, and they still can’t finish often enough to make it all stick.
That problem is showing up in the numbers and in the results. Buffalo finished fifth in goals scored per game in 2025-26 at 3.45, and it still owns a strong chance-creation profile this season, ranking seventh in expected goals per 60 minutes at 3.52, per Natural Stat Trick. But the actual scoring has slipped to 21st in goals per contest at 2.94.
It’s the kind of inconsistency that keeps showing up just when the Sabres seem ready to settle in. Friday night’s 5-goal outburst on 36 shots in a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets looked like a step forward. Then Sunday brought a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, and the old issues were right back in the spotlight.
Against Vegas, Buffalo owned the first period, outshooting the Golden Knights 14-6 and generating 1.6 expected goals, via HockeyStats.com. None of that turned into a goal. After that, Jack Eichel and Co. took over midway through the second period, and the game got away from the Sabres.
That has become a familiar script through the first 17 games: Buffalo starts well, misses its chances, and then watches the opponent seize control.
The scoring depth has been part of the issue too. Tage Thompson, with 10 goals, and Jack Quinn, with nine, have carried the offense, but no other Sabres player has scored more than four times.
Zach Benson is the clearest example of the finishing problem. He’s been excellent in just about every other area, working hard and creating looks, but the puck hasn’t gone in nearly enough.
Among Buffalo skaters, he has the highest goals below expected total in 2026-27, via NST. He has scored twice, but the underlying numbers say he should already be close to 10 goals.
Across the NHL, only Joel Eriksson Ek of the Minnesota Wild is more than six goals below expected.
Buffalo has shown flashes of getting back to the offensive level it reached last season, but those bursts haven’t lasted long enough to build any real momentum. If the Sabres are going to climb in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference standings again, that has to change.
Friday’s win over Columbus also produced a fresh set of player grades, and Josh Norris led the way after one of his best nights of the season.
Sabres Player Grades
Player | Grade (1-10) Josh Norris | 9
Josh Doan | 8.5 Owen Power | 8.5
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 8.5 Jack Quinn | 8
Rasmus Dahlin | 8 Zach Benson | 7.5
Noah Ostlund | 7.5 Tage Thompson | 7
Peyton Krebs | 7 Mattias Samuelsson | 6.5
Jason Zucker | 6 Jiri Kulich | 5.5
Zach Metsa | 5.5 Olen Zellweger | 5
Conor Timmins | 5 Sam Carrick | 4.5
Beck Malenstyn | 4 Tyson Kozak | 3.5
Josh Norris was the Buffalo Player of the Game. He had only 21 shots on goal through 17 appearances entering Friday, and that lack of volume has been a major reason his production has lagged. Against Columbus, though, he scored twice on three shots and finished plus-three, giving Buffalo the kind of output it expects from its highest-paid forward.
If Norris can get rolling, it would go a long way for an offense that needs more punch. Last season, the injury-prone center put up 34 points in 44 games, a pace that would have translated to 65 points over a full year. So far, though, the Sabres haven’t gotten enough of that version of him.
In Other News...
Sabres Have One Clear Trade Path To Fix Their Biggest Problem
Buffalos blue line is in a better place than it has been in years, with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Daxon Rudolph among the defensemen in the organization and under contract. That kind of depth gives the Sabres something most teams would love to have, but it also creates a roster logjam that can be used to address the one spot that still feels glaringly unfinished up front.
The bigger issue is the same one Buffalo has been trying to solve since Jack Eichel left: finding a true No. 1 center. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen has shown interest in adding that kind of top-line pivot, and the most obvious way to make it happen may be to deal from the position where the Sabres are strongest. The question now is whether that surplus on defense can finally be turned into the offensive centerpiece this team has been missing. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres May Have A Real Answer To Their Top-Six Scoring Problem
The Sabres have spent enough time looking for more punch in their top six that any plausible upgrade is going to get attention, and Owen Tippett has emerged as one of the more interesting names to watch. The Flyers winger brings size, speed and a track record that suggests there could be another level in his game, which is exactly the kind of profile Buffalo has been trying to find as it searches for more reliable scoring help up front.
What makes Tippett especially intriguing is that he is still young enough to fit the Sabres' long-term timeline while also carrying enough value that Philadelphia would not move him cheaply. Any real discussion would have to start with Buffalo deciding how aggressively it wants to go after a player like this and what kind of roster piece it is willing to part with, whether that means a center such as Ryan McLeod or another notable asset. For now, it is all speculation, but it is the sort of speculation that makes sense for a team still trying to solve a familiar problem. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Face A Big Konsta Helenius Decision After Rough Start
Konsta Helenius has hit an early snag in his first NHL season, and the Sabres are trying to balance patience with the reality of a 20-year-old forward who has managed just one goal and three points in 11 games. The rough start has been shaped in part by an upper-body injury, but Buffalos view of Helenius has not changed much from the player it watched develop in Finland and in the AHL, where his talent and upside showed up more consistently.
The question now is what gives him the best chance to keep moving forward, because the Sabres are not ready to write him off as a prospect. A trip back to Rochester is on the table if it means more meaningful minutes and a better developmental path, and the organization will weigh that option carefully as it tries to protect both his confidence and his long-term growth. [Read more 🡒]