Sabres’ Special Teams Need to Improve

This season, the power play is off to an extremely slow start, converting on only 11.1% of its chances (31st). For a team that already struggles to score, even a decent power play would solve a lot of problems. A few of their losses have come down to the simple fact they didn’t capitalize on their opportunities with the man advantage.

With the talented players they have — Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Jack Quinn, Jason Zucker, Zach Benson, Josh Norris, Owen Power, and others — there’s no excuse for the power play to be sitting near the bottom of the league.

However, in the loss to the Flyers on Oct. 21, they finally broke through with a power‑play goal, courtesy of Zucker in his season debut. He led the Sabres in power‑play goals (10) last season, and just having him back as a net‑front presence already seems to make a noticeable difference.

Hopefully Zucker’s return helps stabilize the unit, but the group as a whole still needs cleaner entries. On more than half of their attempts, the Sabres lose the puck at the blue line and watch it get cleared immediately; that’s obviously not a recipe for success. When they do enter cleanly, they generate chances, but finishing has been the issue.

According to MoneyPuck, the Sabres have an expected goals‑for (xGF) of 5.68 on the power play, which ranks 17th in the NHL. They currently have four power‑play goals, just below their xGF, but still far from where a team with this level of talent should be.

Penalty Kill Has Regressed

The Sabres’ penalty kill was middle of the pack last season with a success rate of 79.9%. This season, it’s been the exact opposite. They’re sitting at just 66.7%, which somehow isn’t last in the NHL, but still ranks 29th. The the results have been every bit as rough as that number suggests.

There’s a clear reason why the penalty kill has regressed so much, and it mirrors the power‑play issue: Conor Timmins has yet to make his season debut after suffering an injury during the preseason. He’s a massive part of the penalty kill who blocks shots, gets in lanes, clears the front of the net, and plays with the kind of defensive awareness that makes life easier for the goaltender. Without him, the Sabres are missing a stabilizing presence.

Here’s the stat that really tells the story. Last season, the Sabres allowed a power‑play goal in only 30% of their games. This season? They’ve allowed at least one power‑play goal in nine of their first 10 games, a staggering 90%. That’s not just bad; it’s flat‑out horrendous.

If the Sabres want to be labeled as a “contender,” the penalty kill needs to improve immediately. Honestly, I’m more concerned about the PK than the power play. The team’s expected goals against on the penalty kill sits at 7.51, which ranks 26th in the NHL. That’s not a number you can hide from.

Special teams have been one of the Sabres’ two Achilles’ heels this season. It’s still early, so there’s time for things to turn around, and maybe Zucker’s return helps spark the power play, but these issues need to be addressed quickly. If the penalty kill collapses this badly because one player is out of the lineup, then the problems run deeper than just Timmins’ absence.