Takeaways from the First Quarter of the Season
Welcome to the THW Buffalo Sabres Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Sabres writers.
In today’s edition, we have a quarter-mark player-by-player gradebook, a look into why Levi should have been sent to Rochester, takeaways from their win over the Rangers, and a piece detailing the failures of head coach Don Granato. It would be great if you’d share the THW Sabres Substack with your friends and family so that they can subscribe and enjoy all the latest.
Now onto the good stuff…
Grading Sabres Through the First Quarter of the Season
November 30, 2023 by JP Gambatese
Through the first 22 games, the Sabres boast a record of 10-10-2, sitting sixth in the Atlantic Division. They came into the season as a young team with legitimate playoff aspirations, looking to build upon what fans would consider a successful 2022-23 season. Let’s take a look at how the Sabres have been performing on an individual level.
Sabres Sending Levi to AHL Is the Right Move
November 29, 2023 by Matthew Morris
Since he debuted at the end of last season, Devon Levi has been the center of attention for the Buffalo Sabres. The hype for him has been through the roof and fans are desperately hoping that he’ll be the solution to the woes the team has endured in goal since Ryan Miller’s departure nearly 10 years ago.
The Sabres rolled the dice before the season when head coach Don Granato named Levi their starting goaltender, but to this point the results haven’t been as expected in spite of the promise he continues to show. With the calendar approaching December, the team was forced to make a change and on Tuesday they announced that Levi was loaned to the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL).
3 Takeaways From Sabres 5-1 Win Over the Rangers
November 28, 2023 by Michael Golden
“Huge save. Save of the year. I don’t know what you want to call it, but I was on the bench, and my jaw was on the floor until I got back to the ice,” said Alex Tuch, recalling Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s incredible diving stick save on Jimmy Vesey near the start of the third period. Luukkonen was excellent all night in a huge bounce-back victory for the Buffalo Sabres. The New York Rangers had plenty of chances, but Buffalo avenged their opening night loss with a 5-1 win. Here are some key takeaways from the Nov. 28 edition of the Sabres vs. Rangers.
Sabres’ Woes a Result of Don Granato’s Poor Decision Making
November 26, 2023 by Jacob D. Strozyk
Another day goes by, and yet another embarrassing loss for the Buffalo Sabres. They now sit at 9-10-2 after getting slapped around in every way by the New Jersey Devils in a 7-2 loss on Saturday (Nov. 25). The game was poised to be an exciting offensive showing, and on top of that, was the debut of top prospects Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen. Instead, the night was marred with poor defensive play, poor goaltending, and a derelict offense that could only muster a pathetic 12 shots on goal.
After a huge comeback win against the Pittsburgh Penguins Friday evening (Nov. 24), they couldn’t keep any of the momentum up, and that lies on the shoulders of head coach Don Granato. There were shades of this issue last season, but it has become supremely evident as of late, that some of his coaching choices are suspect and poor. Whether it is his deployment of an 11-7 forward-to-defender split, his choice to play a three-goalie rotation, or his baffling misuse of top prospects, it is time to finally question the decision-making of this coach.