The Buffalo Sabres were finally handed their first preseason loss as the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated them 6-3. The young Sabres group, destined for the AHL, carried a lead into the third period against an NHL Blue Jackets lineup but sputtered in the final frame. Noah Ostlund dazzled for the Sabres with three magnificent primary assists.
It was a valiant effort for the outmatched group, as head coach Mike Leone has to be proud of how they’ve battled for eight of nine periods against NHL talent.
It’s time we talk about what the Sabres have in Ostlund. He’s shown the kind of individual effort that Buffalo expected when selecting the Swedish forward 16th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The splash plays stand out, but let’s turn to the grading system to see how each Sabres player really fared throughout the night.
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In case you missed it, the grading system was implemented last season. That way, we can assign letter grades to each Buffalo Sabres player based on game performance. Sometimes our eyes deceive us, so the letter grades are assigned based on statistical computation, taking into account the following factors:
- Production
- Quality of offense
- Quality of defense
- Volume of offense
- Volume of defense
- Powerplay performance
- Penalty kill performance
- Penalties drawn and taken
- Role
- Minutes played
| Grade | Lower Limit | Upper Limit |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 92% | 100% |
| A | 85% | 92% |
| A- | 77% | 85% |
| B+ | 69% | 77% |
| B | 62% | 69% |
| B- | 54% | 62% |
| C+ | 46% | 54% |
| C | 38% | 46% |
| C- | 31% | 38% |
| D+ | 23% | 31% |
| D | 15% | 23% |
| D- | 8% | 15% |
| F | 0% | 8% |
Studs
Scott Ratzlaff
Grade: A+
In a game against NHLers, with AHLers, a WHL goalie manned the net for Buffalo to start. Scott Ratzlaff will head back to play junior hockey in Seattle this season, but he was the biggest reason the Sabres carried a lead into the second period.
The puck was in and around Ratzlaff the entire time he was in the crease for Buffalo before he gave way to Felix Sandstrom approximately halfway through the game. Ratzlaff was stellar, not allowing a goal on 20 shots.
Konsta Helenius
Grade: B
Production: D
Offense: A-
Defense: C-
Special Teams: C
The youngest player in the game, Konsta Helenius never looked out of place against Columbus’ top talent. He may not have had the splash plays that Ostlund did, but the Finnish center was Buffalo’s best driver of offense in the game.
Helenius has that silent assassin attribute to his game, similar to fellow countryman Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s always around the puck and playing in the right areas, and it’s his little passes and awareness that all-of-a-sudden turn into a dangerous opportunity.
The Sabres have really found something with Helenius, who may have the highest ceiling of their entire prospect pool.
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Mason Jobst
Grade: B-
Production: A
Offense: C-
Defense: D+
Special Teams: B+
Mason Jobst’s goal and assist show that there are more than good underlying metrics to having a good game. Jobst was the benefactor of one of Ostlund’s crazy-good passes, as he buried a one-timer on Ostlund’s spin-around dish. He also contributed well on both the powerplay and penalty kill, displaying his all-around usefulness.
Jobst also drew two penalties, which added to the opportunistic nature of his game. This helped him barely edge out Ostlund, despite his three assists, in the Sabres grades.
Duds
Felix Sandstrom
Grade: F
It’s never good when you replace a goalie working on a shutout and end up letting in five goals. The Sabres didn’t help Felix Sandstrom much, but he came up short when they needed a save. Sandstrom has been good in training camp and was solid in Ottawa, so this game should be taken with a grain of salt.
After all, the Sabres were heavy underdogs considering the lineups.
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Ty Cheveldayoff
Grade: D
Production: F
Offense: F
Defense: B+
Special Teams: N/A
When you create next-to-nothing offensively and play only a little over eight minutes in the game, it’s tough to dodge the “duds” column. Ty Cheveldayoff is a big, imposing forward, but he’s a fringe AHL player who’s bound to see some time in the ECHL this season.
He was fairly clean in his own end and got involved in a couple of skirmishes after the whistle, which is about all he’ll add consistently to the lineup. Anything more than that is a bonus.
Brett Murray
Grade: D
Production: D+
Offense: D
Defense: D-
Special Teams: B
It was a tough night for Brett Murray, one of the few Sabres dressed with NHL experience. He fumbled the puck a couple of times which led to easy clears on the top powerplay unit, and his line was noticeably slow.
Murray’s size makes him enticing to pair with big center Josh Dunne, but the two had trouble carrying the puck into the offensive zone with possession. Perhaps splitting them up and pairing each with two smaller, skilled players could help balance out the attack in Rochester this season.
Sabres Grades
| POS | TEAM | LETTER GRADE | GRADE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Ratzlaff | G | BUF | A+ | 93.7% |
| Konsta Helenius | C | BUF | B | 63.1% |
| Mason Jobst | C | BUF | B- | 55.1% |
| Noah Ostlund | C | BUF | C+ | 53.7% |
| Anton Wahlberg | C | BUF | C+ | 49.3% |
| Isak Rosen | R | BUF | C+ | 48.0% |
| Noah Laaouan | D | BUF | C+ | 47.6% |
| Viktor Neuchev | L | BUF | C+ | 46.3% |
| Vsevolod Komarov | D | BUF | C- | 37.9% |
| Colton Poolman | D | BUF | C- | 37.6% |
| Josh Dunne | C | BUF | C- | 37.4% |
| Zach Metsa | D | BUF | C- | 34.9% |
| Nikita Novikov | D | BUF | C- | 34.8% |
| Riley Fiddler-Schultz | C | BUF | C- | 32.2% |
| Aleksandr Kisakov | L | BUF | D+ | 29.6% |
| Jack Rathbone | D | BUF | D+ | 27.3% |
| Graham Slaggert | C | BUF | D | 22.1% |
| Brett Murray | L | BUF | D | 20.8% |
| Ty Cheveldayoff | L | BUF | D | 19.0% |
| Felix Sandstrom | G | BUF | F | 3.3% |
