Sabres are top 6 in the NHL in some pretty interesting categories...

[matter2003]

% of PP Share(Penalties Against to Penalties For %): 1st - 55.35%(Pens 2nd - 53.75%)

% of shot attempts that are blocked: 3rd - 24.23%(STL 1st - 23.77%, TOR 2nd - 23.82%)

% of unblocked shot attempts that miss the net: 4th - 26.49%(COL 1st - 25.41%, BOS 2nd - 25.72%, EDM 3rd - 25.81%)

Defensive Zone Giveaways to Opponent(fewest): 6th - 295(COL 1st - 247)

This is kinda surprising to me...the Sabres have the highest percentage of PP time in the NHL, meaning Sabres both draw a lot of penalties and don't take a lot of penalties in relation to other teams.  

Watching the games, I get frustrated by how many of their shots seem to get blocked and/or miss the net but they are in the top 4 in both categories in terms of having the fewest shots blocked and shots that miss the net as a percentage of their unblocked shots.  Basically they get their shots on net more often than most other teams.

Also, unlike many seem to think, the Sabres are very good in terms of not turning the puck over in their own end compared to other NHL teams ranking 6th in terms of fewest turnover in the defensive zone.  I think the Sabres turnovers in the D zone are many times of the egregious variety that lead to very high quality chances more often than other teams so I would say the percentage of quality scoring chances off turnovers would likely be very high even if the actual number of turnovers isn't.

 

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by matter2003

[dudacek]

Nice finds.

That last one is the only one that surprises me (for the reasons you state) but actually it generally fits with the way the team is coached.

They are a team that hangs on to the puck and tends to keep moving it until they find openings, rather than bang pucks “at the net” and “up and out”. And they are skilled enough to make it work.

Their defensive strategy is to skate forward: attack the puck carrier, and rotate support in behind the checker. Their struggles come from the support not getting there, possibly through inexperienced reads.

 

[mjd1001]

A bit off topic, but as far as where the Sabres rank...

Dylan Cozens now has more goals this year (with the season almost done) than Sydney Crosby, Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel, Nikita Kucherov, Mitch Marner, and Artemi Panerin (all who have played about the same number of games/full seasons).   Imagine the odds on that before the season started.

[LTS]

47 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

A bit off topic, but as far as where the Sabres rank...

Dylan Cozens now has more goals this year (with the season almost done) than Sydney Crosby, Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel, Nikita Kucherov, Mitch Marner, and Artemi Panerin (all who have played about the same number of games/full seasons).   Imagine the odds on that before the season started.

Crosby: $8.7M
Reinhart: $6.5M
Eichel: $10M
Kucherov: $9.5M
Marner: $10.9M
Panerin: $11.6M

Cozens: $7.1M

Yep... I think there's a bargain in there somewhere.

[matter2003]

9 minutes ago, LTS said:

Crosby: $8.7M
Reinhart: $6.5M
Eichel: $10M
Kucherov: $9.5M
Marner: $10.9M
Panerin: $11.6M

Cozens: $7.1M

Yep... I think there's a bargain in there somewhere.

Cozens isn't making $7.1 this year, he is still on his ELC I believe isn't he? That number doesn't kick in until next year.

[mjd1001]

8 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Cozens isn't making $7.1 this year, he is still on his ELC I believe isn't he? That number doesn't kick in until next year.

Not to hijack this thread with a different topic..but....

Thompson, Tuch, Skinner.   Tuch and Thompson in their statistical prime, Skinner a bit past statistical peak but still should be good last year.

Cozens, Quinn, Peterka.  All 3 of them should still be gettting better statistically.

If, IF Quinn and Peterka both continue to get better next year, is there a chance by the end of the year next year, this Cozens/Quinn/Peterka line could be just as productive/reliable as the Thompson line?  Or if that were to happen is it going to be 2 years out?  Cozens does lead the team in scoring and goals in the last 20 games.

[LGR4GM]

4 hours ago, matter2003 said:

% of PP Share(Penalties Against to Penalties For %): 1st - 55.35%(Pens 2nd - 53.75%)

% of shot attempts that are blocked: 3rd - 24.23%(STL 1st - 23.77%, TOR 2nd - 23.82%)

% of unblocked shot attempts that miss the net: 4th - 26.49%(COL 1st - 25.41%, BOS 2nd - 25.72%, EDM 3rd - 25.81%)

Defensive Zone Giveaways to Opponent(fewest): 6th - 295(COL 1st - 247)

This is kinda surprising to me...the Sabres have the highest percentage of PP time in the NHL, meaning Sabres both draw a lot of penalties and don't take a lot of penalties in relation to other teams.  

Watching the games, I get frustrated by how many of their shots seem to get blocked and/or miss the net but they are in the top 4 in both categories in terms of having the fewest shots blocked and shots that miss the net as a percentage of their unblocked shots.  Basically they get their shots on net more often than most other teams.

Also, unlike many seem to think, the Sabres are very good in terms of not turning the puck over in their own end compared to other NHL teams ranking 6th in terms of fewest turnover in the defensive zone.  I think the Sabres turnovers in the D zone are many times of the egregious variety that lead to very high quality chances more often than other teams so I would say the percentage of quality scoring chances off turnovers would likely be very high even if the actual number of turnovers isn't.

 

 

I read a tweet thread recently that privately tracked giveaway/takeaway stats were vastly different from what the NHL keeps. 

[matter2003]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

I read a tweet thread recently that privately tracked giveaway/takeaway stats were vastly different from what the NHL keeps. 

A random person versus the official NHL statisticians? I'm taking the statistician.

1 hour ago, mjd1001 said:

Not to hijack this thread with a different topic..but....

Thompson, Tuch, Skinner.   Tuch and Thompson in their statistical prime, Skinner a bit past statistical peak but still should be good last year.

Cozens, Quinn, Peterka.  All 3 of them should still be gettting better statistically.

If, IF Quinn and Peterka both continue to get better next year, is there a chance by the end of the year next year, this Cozens/Quinn/Peterka line could be just as productive/reliable as the Thompson line?  Or if that were to happen is it going to be 2 years out?  Cozens does lead the team in scoring and goals in the last 20 games.

 

Why would you think 2 players who are 20 wouldn't get better?

 

Look at Cousins first two years in comparison to this year.

[mjd1001]

32 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

A random person versus the official NHL statisticians? I'm taking the statistician.

 

Why would you think 2 players who are 20 wouldn't get better?

 

Look at Cousins first two years in comparison to this year.

Where did I say that they would not get better?  Where did I say or even assume that I THINK they won't?

  The whole point of my response was that they should get better, just like anything there are no guarantees.  Out of everything I wrong, somehow what you got out of it was "Why would you think 2 players who are 20 wouldn't get better?" lol

[pi2000]

6 hours ago, matter2003 said:

% of PP Share(Penalties Against to Penalties For %): 1st - 55.35%(Pens 2nd - 53.75%)

% of shot attempts that are blocked: 3rd - 24.23%(STL 1st - 23.77%, TOR 2nd - 23.82%)

% of unblocked shot attempts that miss the net: 4th - 26.49%(COL 1st - 25.41%, BOS 2nd - 25.72%, EDM 3rd - 25.81%)

Defensive Zone Giveaways to Opponent(fewest): 6th - 295(COL 1st - 247)

This is kinda surprising to me...the Sabres have the highest percentage of PP time in the NHL, meaning Sabres both draw a lot of penalties and don't take a lot of penalties in relation to other teams.  

Watching the games, I get frustrated by how many of their shots seem to get blocked and/or miss the net but they are in the top 4 in both categories in terms of having the fewest shots blocked and shots that miss the net as a percentage of their unblocked shots.  Basically they get their shots on net more often than most other teams.

Also, unlike many seem to think, the Sabres are very good in terms of not turning the puck over in their own end compared to other NHL teams ranking 6th in terms of fewest turnover in the defensive zone.  I think the Sabres turnovers in the D zone are many times of the egregious variety that lead to very high quality chances more often than other teams so I would say the percentage of quality scoring chances off turnovers would likely be very high even if the actual number of turnovers isn't.

 

 

All typical rankings for a young team. 

[Contempt]

1 hour ago, pi2000 said:

All typical rankings for a young team. 

How long does Mitts get to be "young"? He's got storm trooper level shooting precision.

[LTS]

On 4/7/2023 at 1:38 PM, matter2003 said:

Cozens isn't making $7.1 this year, he is still on his ELC I believe isn't he? That number doesn't kick in until next year.

That's 100% correct... but he's now established himself as a player who is worth $7.1M.. so I used that number.  He's an even better bargain on his current deal. 🙂

[MattPie]

On 4/7/2023 at 10:02 AM, matter2003 said:

Defensive Zone Giveaways to Opponent(fewest): 6th - 295(COL 1st - 247)

From what I've seen (and that's colored by just watching highlights), it's way more often that the giveaway is high in the offensive zone resulting in an extended odd-man rush and opponent goal.

[matter2003]

On 4/7/2023 at 6:44 PM, Contempt said:

How long does Mitts get to be "young"? He's got storm trooper level shooting precision.

Proving to be quite a good set up man tho

[That Aud Smell]

Anyone have aggregate statistics showing the predictive quality of goaltending that the team faced this season? E.g., how much did they move past seeing their opponent’s lesser netminders? Or, maybe more accurately, did opposing goalies have positive, negative, or neutral values for goals against expected?

[French Collection]

24 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

Anyone have aggregate statistics showing the predictive quality of goaltending that the team faced this season? E.g., how much did they move past seeing their opponent’s lesser netminders? Or, maybe more accurately, did opposing goalies have positive, negative, or neutral values for goals against expected?

No stats but they faced Shesterkin, Saros, Sorokin, Vanacek and the like at the end of the season.