Why is the Buffalo Sabres’ power play so bad?
TSN 690 colour commentator Jon Goyens joined Daily Faceoff Live for another edition of The Coaches Room. In this week’s installment, Goyens highlights the Buffalo Sabres powerplay and what needs to be done in order to revive it.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Let’s talk about the Buffalo Sabres. I think not only Sabres fans, but hockey fans in general are excited to see this team take a step forward this year and it just hasn’t happened yet. They are 25th in goals scored so what is holding back Buffalo’s high-flying offense?
Jon Goyens: Well I agree, I think everyone expected them to take that next step. But offense is not bailing them out right now. At five on five, yes they’re ninth in goals for, but they are 25th in goals against and that is a red flag. Expected goals for in the last two seasons sit at 26 and 28. The slot, at the end of the day, the slot is a big struggle for them and I believe their defending is what is holding back their offense.
Frank Seravalli: So when you take a look at that offense what number do you have to support the spot they’re in and why they struggle from an analytics perspective?
Jon Goyens: Again, I think it all points back to what’s happening on the other end of the ice. It’s funny, they don’t spend that much time in their zone, but it’s what they’ve given up. I feel strongly that their defense’s lacklustre play in the slot is what is leading them to not have that same swagger offensively. They are near the bottom of the league in everything when covering the slot which means passing to the slot, inner slot shots against, slot shots against, forecheck shots against, off the rush and right now they are 29th in the league.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Five-on-five is not the only area they are struggling in. If we’re going to talk about a lack of offensive production, they are 25th in powerplay percentage. What has been going wrong in the man advantage? They were a top 10 powerplay last season.
Jon Goyens: Right now their slot shots on the net are ranked 31st on the powerplay. They are 29th in inner slot shots, 28th, in slot attempts and controlled entry sits at 28th for the effectiveness of getting over the blueline with possession. So what I noticed is against Montreal they were 0/6 and you lose that game in a shootout, including a powerplay in the final minute that bleeds into overtime, you have to capitalize. In their last 10 games, 3-5-2, their overall winning percentage is at .446 and they’re on track for 36 wins instead of 42. Their powerplay is not bailing them out, it’s a lot of one-and-done. I know it’s a lot of negative but I don’t think they’re far off from putting pucks into the back of the net.
Frank Seravalli: Why do you think that?
Jon Goyens: The skill is there, whether there is a disconnect that the coaches are selling, but I’ve always believed with powerplays that we coaches can present but at the end of the day it’s about building a partnership with these players as they have to have insight, they are the best players in the world. That way they go out and they have ownership over the powerplay and when they have that, watch our, they are going to set the world ablaze.
You can watch the full segment here…