After starting the season 0-3, the Buffalo Sabres finally won a game after beating the Florida Panthers 5-2 on Saturday night. Coming off a frustrated loss in their home opener against the Los Angeles Kings, this was a must win for the Sabres and they got the job done.
Sitting at 1-3, Buffalo has a few days off before they embark on a three game road trip in Pittsburgh, Columbus and Chicago. Now that they have some time off, I thought I would give three takeaways from the first four games of the season. Good and bad, here they are.
The power play...YIKES!
Going back to last season, the Sabres power play continues to be a liability. In three games, Buffalo had 14 chances and they have not scored on any of them. That's right, the Sabres are 0/14 with the man advantage. With the talent they have, it's incredibly frustrating Buffalo is still having issues.
Even with Seth Appert being in charge, it's the same old story from last year. It's still early but they really need to figure it out if Buffalo wants to get their season back on track.
Goaltending is a plus
Despite starting the season rough, the Sabres goaltenders are doing their part. Both Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen have been performing well so far. Levi is 1-1 with a 2.57 GAA (goals against average) along with a SV% (save percentage) of .919. As for his partner, Luukkonen is 0-2 with a 2.56 GAA and a .886 SV%,
Aside from the victory against Florida, both goaltenders have not gotten the offensive support in front of them. You can't put the slow start on Luukkonen and Levi as they are providing this team a chance to win.
Should we be worried about Dylan Cozens?
My last takeaway could be a bit of an overreaction but is it fair to be worried about Dylan Cozens? The Workhorse from Whitehorse has yet to register a point in the first four games. Now it is still very early in the season, but Dylan not having at least a point is a bit worrisome. After a down year last season, I was hoping he would bounce back.
Again, it's only four games and he still has plenty of time to turn it around, But if Buffalo hopes to get the season back on track, Cozens will need to figure it out as part of the success the Sabres are hoping to achieve.
