The Buffalo Sabres have reached a point where one loss just keeps rolling into the next, and the latest stretch has only sharpened the questions around what’s really wrong. They were beaten 8-3 by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, then dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the NHL’s weakest teams. That leaves Buffalo at 8-7-4, and while Alex Tuch’s absence is the obvious place to point, it’s not the whole story.
Tuch matters. Nobody around this team would pretend otherwise. But the Sabres’ problems run deeper than one missing forward, and the issues showing up night after night are spread across the roster.
The biggest one starts in net. Last season, Buffalo got strong work from Alex Lyon, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis, a trio that helped the Sabres post the 10th-best goals against average at 2.93 and the third-best save percentage at .907. MoneyPuck also had them fifth-best in goals against above expected at -24.51.
This year, the numbers have flipped hard. Buffalo sits sixth-worst in goals against average at 3.53, third-worst in save percentage at .807, and seventh-worst in goals against above expected at +4.74.
Lyon made his season debut Thursday against Chicago, and while it wasn’t his sharpest outing, he still stopped 22 of 25 shots. The Sabres need that position to stabilize fast if they’re going to get back into the playoff picture, whether that comes from this group turning it around or the front office exploring trade options.
The problems aren’t limited to goaltending, though. Buffalo entered the season hoping younger players would help absorb the loss of Tuch, with Jack Quinn, Zach Benson, Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich and Josh Doan all expected to take steps forward.
Quinn and Benson have been solid. The others haven’t given the club the kind of impact it was hoping for.
Even so, the more troubling trend is with the veterans. Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker have combined for just 13 points this season, which works out to about .28 points per game played.
Last season, that same trio put up 133 points, or .71 points per game played. That kind of drop-off hurts no matter what the younger players are doing.
Buffalo’s special teams have also taken a hit, and the penalty kill is the more alarming of the two units. The power play was already a problem last season and still hasn’t become a strength, but the Sabres were able to survive without it.
The penalty kill is another matter entirely. After being one of the better units a year ago, Buffalo has fallen to fifth-worst at 69.7%.
Last season, the Sabres gave up 42 power-play goals in 82 games. This season, they’ve already allowed 20 in 19 games.
The short-handed offense has vanished too. Buffalo was one of the league’s best at creating short-handed goals last season, finishing with 11, second-most in the NHL.
This year, they have just one. Tuch had three of those last season, but Ryan McLeod actually led the league with five.
The inability to kill penalties and strike back the other way has made the regression on special teams even more obvious.
At five-on-five, the Sabres are also not generating the same quality looks they were a year ago. Last season, they ranked third in high-danger shooting percentage at 20.95%. This season, that number has dropped to 15.84%, which puts them 10th-worst, according to Natural Stat Trick.
It’s not just that Buffalo is finishing less efficiently. The chances themselves have thinned out.
Last season, Jason Zucker, Josh Doan and Zach Benson each had more than five high-danger chances per 60 minutes. This season, only Benson and Sam Carrick have reached that mark, and Carrick has appeared in just 10 games with limited ice time.
Tuch’s absence is real, and it has clearly affected the Sabres. But the reasons Buffalo is sliding go well beyond one player.
The goaltending has cratered, the veterans have gone quiet, the penalty kill has slipped into the league’s bottom tier, and the team isn’t creating or converting enough dangerous chances. Those are the problems Buffalo has to fix.
In Other News...
Alex Tuch Shares Emotional Message Buffalo Fans Will Appreciate
Alex Tuchs ties to Buffalo still run deeper than hockey, and that was clear in a recent public message thanking the medical staff at Sisters Hospital. The former Sabres forward, now with the Washington Capitals, expressed his appreciation for the care his family received when his son Teller was born prematurely and needed immediate help in Buffalo.
Tuch said the hospital staff saved his sons life, and he made it clear the gratitude extends beyond one moment. He and his wife also gave back to the hospital, a gesture that underscores how much the Buffalo community still means to him even after moving on from the Sabres. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Keep Running Into The Same Problem At The Worst Time
Buffalos season has been defined by the same frustrating rhythm: a burst of good hockey, then a slide right back into familiar trouble. The Sabres had built some momentum with a run of wins, only to see it evaporate in a three-game skid, and the timing could hardly be worse with the club four points out of a playoff spot. There have been bright spots along the way, including Tage Thompsons impact and some steadier work in goal from Alex Lyon, but the bigger issues keep showing up in the same places.
Defense remains a problem, the middle of the lineup has not supplied enough scoring, and overtime has become another sore spot in a season that has too often felt like a missed opportunity. For a team trying to stay in the race, the challenge is not just finding another hot stretch, but making it last long enough to matter. Until Buffalo tightens up at the back and gets more from the supporting cast, the margin for error will keep shrinking. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Fans Just Got A Nostalgia Jolt They Needed
Hall of Fame Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek made a return trip to Western New York on a night when Buffalo fans could use a lift, joining supporters at a free watch party at Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino during the teams game against the Chicago Blackhawks. For a fan base that still measures its hockey memories against the best eras in franchise history, seeing Hasek back in the area where he played for nine seasons carried the kind of nostalgic pull that only a true legend can deliver.
Hasek said he was happy to be back in the region and spoke about his hopes for the Sabres future success, a reminder that his connection to Buffalo has never really faded. With the Sabres set to face the Dallas Stars next, the timing of his visit added a little extra buzz to a season that still has plenty of room to build something meaningful. [Read more 🡒]