Three ways the Buffalo Sabres can turn things around in 2020-21

There’s three things the Buffalo Sabres need to do in order to put things right this year.

The Buffalo Sabres were stifled by a red-hot New York Islanders team last night in their first game back since Jan. 31 due to COVID-19, including not even recording a single shot on goal in the third period, which takes some doing.

Following weeks of short-handed practices, it wasn’t very helpful the Sabres went head-first into a brick wall against an Islanders team that is 4-3-3 in their last 10 games and up against a goaltender in Semyon Varlamov, who is posting a 1.89 GAA and .931 save percentage this year.

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It was an even bigger burden when the Sabres left the ice last night, knowing they didn’t record a shot on goal in the third period in nine attempts. That left a sour taste in their mouths as the lone goalscorer Victor Olofsson and captain Jack Eichel didn’t hesitate to voice their displeasures post-game.

The Sabres now sit at the bottom of an unforgiving East Division with a record of 4-5-2 in 11 games played this year. It would be unscrupulous not to consider the club’s woes off the ice. Granted, it isn’t easy to deal with a virus that is surging through a team, knocking out players and coaches alike.

But, from the outside looking in, the Buffalo Sabres have more to worry about moving forward and these were in existence before the COVID-19 outbreak forced the team to the sidelines. Here are three ways the Sabres can aptly turn around their slow start to the year.

Three things the Buffalo Sabres can do to right the ship in 2020-21

The Stars Need To Be The Stars

For starters, Taylor Hall needs to show up or show out.

The former Hart Trophy winner signed a lucrative one-year, $8 million dollar contract in the offseason with an excitement to play with Jack Eichel. So far, Hall has recorded one goal and eight assists for nine points with a plus / minus rating of -7. That’s not Hart Trophy-esque by any stretch of the imagination.

Hall needs to be more than just a silhouette on the ice and a ghost on your television screen. If he wants a shot at earning another lucrative contract this offseason, Hall needs to show the NHL he’s worthy of the funds and worthy to be a key piece in a roster. Much of the offensive production has been Jack Eichel as expected. So far, the No. 2 overall pick by the Sabres in 2015 has a team-high 11 points (2 G, 9 A) this year. And the Sabres are seeing some nice production from another key asset on their team and that is Victor Olofsson.

Olofsson leads the team with five goals on the year. On the backend of things, Rasmus Dahlin needs to be better and I think we all know that. The Swedish defenseman has recorded consecutive 40-point seasons since entering the league and, in his third and final year of his Entry-Level Contract, he needs to show the Sabres they didn’t make a mistake choosing him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Dahlin is a staggering -10 so far this season and has looked quite timid to say the least. By all accounts, Rasmus Ristolainen has looked more like a number one option leading the team with a plus two rating, until Dahlin says otherwise. If the Sabres’ star talents can come to play from here on out there’s no telling how much of an affect it could have on the rest of the group.

There’s also no telling how that plays a part in their decisions to return to the team for next year. The Sabres will see five players from the starting lineup become RFA’s, including Sam Reinhart and 11 players in total become UFA’s at the end of the season, according to CapFriendly.com.

Keep Up The Special Teams

The Buffalo Sabres do rank top 10 in the league in something.

The Sabres’ power play is ranked fifth in the league at 31.7 percent. The team has potted in 13 power play goals thus far this year, averaging 1.18 a game. If the group has any shot at turning this right around in 2020-21, Buffalo needs to continue to draw penalties and capitalize on the man advantage.

Defensively, the penalty kill can use some improvement. The Sabres rank 13th in the league with an 80 percent efficiency killing off a penalty. That number can use a bit of a bump.

So far, the Riley Sheahan, Curtis Lazar, Jake McCabe and Ristolainen penalty kill unit has been their most dominant group to stave off the opposition’s power play units according to leftwinglock.com. It wouldn’t hurt to throw Jack Eichel, Taylor Hall or Victor Olofsson out there for a few shorthanded chances. In the long-term, teams would have to be more aware of who is on the Buffalo Sabres’ PK unit. We’ll see what Head Coach Ralph Krueger decides to do.