7 Players with Abysmal PP Stats

[JoeSchmoe]

Some players have been logging huge PP minutes despite very dismal results. Cozens, Power, Benson, Byram, Kulich, Krebs, and to a lessor extent Tuch are basically unserviceable as PP players.

I know this will be unpopular, but losing Skinner really hurts us here. Him and Zucker have the knack for dirty PP goals... It'd be nice to have one of them on PP1 and PP2. I know Skinner has sucked in Edmonton, but if you put him with players that can get the puck to the net, he's going to produce.

Hopefully Quinn will continue to develop into the role. 

[ska-T Palmtown]

seems kinda rude to just start bashing PPs on the internet like this.

[PerreaultForever]

9 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I know this will be unpopular, but losing Skinner really hurts us here.

Actually I'd say losing ROR really hurts us here 🙂

Remember when Bylsma had a crap boring team with a killer PP. 

[mjd1001]

Tuch is someone that is a little puzzling to me.

His first year and a half with the Sabres, he had 10 PP goals and 28 assists.

Since then (almost the same number of games), he has 2 PP goals an 15 assists.

A dramatic drop-off in production, much more than the PP overall. He has about 25% less  PP ice time over the more recent time period...but all stats being even that should equate to a drop of 2 goals (to 8), not a drop of 8 goals (to 2).

And when you watch him, he doesn't look awful out there, but he for sure isn't as noticable as he once was.

He is almost as effective 5 on 5, he looks pretty good on the PK, but for some reason he went from an above average PP guy to looking out of place on it. So again, the entire PP is worse the last 2 years compared to the 2 years before, but to me Tuch just looks so much more out of place than he did in the past.

[steveoath]

Tuch is a second line player at best on a playoff team. 
 

if we had a playoff calibre first line then Zucker Cozens Tuch would be a good 2nd line. 

[mjd1001]

27 minutes ago, steveoath said:

Tuch is a second line player at best on a playoff team. 
 

if we had a playoff calibre first line then Zucker Cozens Tuch would be a good 2nd line. 

Not with Cozens at center. Cozens only spot where he would be a positive in any way is on wing, and at this point probably 3rd line minutes.

[EM88]

27 minutes ago, steveoath said:

Tuch is a second line player at best on a playoff team. 
 

if we had a playoff calibre first line then Zucker Cozens Tuch would be a good 2nd line. 

Dylan Cozens can no longer be a Center. He is just too bad it it.

[inkman]

2 hours ago, steveoath said:

Tuch is a second line player at best on a playoff team. 
 

if we had a playoff calibre first line then Zucker Cozens Tuch would be a good 2nd line. 

I’m not even sure Cozens is an NHL player at this point. 

[John Tucker]

On 1/27/2025 at 10:45 AM, mjd1001 said:

Tuch is someone that is a little puzzling to me.

His first year and a half with the Sabres, he had 10 PP goals and 28 assists.

Since then (almost the same number of games), he has 2 PP goals an 15 assists.

A dramatic drop-off in production, much more than the PP overall. He has about 25% less  PP ice time over the more recent time period...but all stats being even that should equate to a drop of 2 goals (to 8), not a drop of 8 goals (to 2).

And when you watch him, he doesn't look awful out there, but he for sure isn't as noticable as he once was.

He is almost as effective 5 on 5, he looks pretty good on the PK, but for some reason he went from an above average PP guy to looking out of place on it. So again, the entire PP is worse the last 2 years compared to the 2 years before, but to me Tuch just looks so much more out of place than he did in the past.

He's a big guy that doesn't play big.  He spends way too much time on the perimeter (as does everyone on this team).  He's a much better PK guy because of his length

 

22 hours ago, steveoath said:

Tuch is a second line player at best on a playoff team. 
 

if we had a playoff calibre first line then Zucker Cozens Tuch would be a good 2nd line. 

Too generous with Cozens... He should be serving a Girgensons old role on the fourth line.  And even then he would be useless.

[ska-T Palmtown]

43 minutes ago, John Tucker said:

He's a big guy that doesn't play big.  He spends way too much time on the perimeter (as does everyone on this team).  He's a much better PK guy because of his length

I am confused by this statement. Tuch is behind the net and in the corners a lot (at least relative to other teammates). I feel like I am taking crazy pills around here sometimes (not just you - I have now moved on to a general rant, thanks for the spring board) ... We want people who are "tough" that can "battle along the boards" etc etc etc ... last time I checked <googles hockey rink> - the boards are along the perimeter. I see Sabres players win puck battles along the boards, in the corners, and behind the net far more often than they are given credit for (low bar, to be sure). Where I see things fall apart is the rest of the team does not subscribe to "be a good teammate" - too often the player gets the puck, looks up, and his teammates are not doing enough to get open. Boom. Turnover. There is a crazy lack of puck support across all three zones, whether the Sabres possess the puck or not. 

Every player cannot simultaneously "win battles along the boards" and "go to the net". Tuch does his job far more often than many of the other players. Again, low bar, I know.

[EM88]

4 hours ago, ska-T Palmtown said:

I am confused by this statement. Tuch is behind the net and in the corners a lot (at least relative to other teammates). I feel like I am taking crazy pills around here sometimes (not just you - I have now moved on to a general rant, thanks for the spring board) ... We want people who are "tough" that can "battle along the boards" etc etc etc ... last time I checked <googles hockey rink> - the boards are along the perimeter. I see Sabres players win puck battles along the boards, in the corners, and behind the net far more often than they are given credit for (low bar, to be sure). Where I see things fall apart is the rest of the team does not subscribe to "be a good teammate" - too often the player gets the puck, looks up, and his teammates are not doing enough to get open. Boom. Turnover. There is a crazy lack of puck support across all three zones, whether the Sabres possess the puck or not. 

Every player cannot simultaneously "win battles along the boards" and "go to the net". Tuch does his job far more often than many of the other players. Again, low bar, I know.

I do believe on this forum some of us are so frustrated with this team that we pick players who we think are not playing as well as we want, and then qualities are assigned to them that are not true.

In the Elias Pettersson thread something close to this has happened.  There are a lot of posters saying they are not interested in Pettersson because he is a perimeter player floater. Neither of those are close to being true.  In reality Pettersson goes to the net, hustles back, even blocks shots.  But I guess since he is a European  and does not lay out bodychecks that are on the highlight reel so some think he is a floater and perimeter player?

I do agree with you that some of the logic that is posted on this forum has me shaking my head.  

Edited 3 hours ago by EM88

[ska-T Palmtown]

1 hour ago, EM88 said:

I do believ on this forum some of us are so frustrated with this team that we pick players who we think are not playing as well as we want, and then qualities are assigned to them that are not true.

In the Elias Pettersson thread something close to this has happened.  There are a lot of posters saying they are not interested in Pettersson because he is a perimeter player floater. Neither of those are close to being true.  In reality Pettersson goes to the net, hustles back, even blocks shots.  But I guess since he is a European  and does not lay out bodychecks that are on the highlight reel so some think he is a floater and perimeter player?

I do agree with you that some of the logic that is posted on this forum has me shaking my head.  

I think the same things were said about Laine (along with his noted mental health struggles) and I think it might be hard to find a Habs fan that isn't super over-joyed with him so far. 🤷‍♀️