The Sabres had a 3-1 lead in the second period… and completely fell apart and lost to the Oilers.
They wasted fantastic nights by Jack Eichel, Brandon Montour, Rasmus Dahlin, Casey Mittelstadt and surprisingly Casey Nelson.
Here’s a breakdown of the good and bad:
Good
Casey Nelson
At 5v5 Nelson was a force:
19 shot attempts for, 4 against (82.6% CF%)
7 scoring chances for, 2 against (77.8% SCF%)
5 controlled breakouts
6 shot contributions
4 primary shot assists
Nelson was fantastic and should be in the lineup next game, key word is SHOULD
Jack Eichel
5v5 numbers:
21 shot attempts for, 18 against (53.8% CF%)
8 scoring chances for, 8 against (50% SCF%)
13 controlled breakouts
9 controlled entries
3 primary shot assists
On top of the advanced stats…Eichel also scored 2 beautiful goals and is continuing his career year.
Rasmus Dahlin
5v5 numbers:
25 shot attempts for, 15 against (62.5% CF%)
11 scoring chances for, 8 against (57.9% SCF%)
5 controlled breakouts
2 controlled entries
1 shot assists
There isn’t much to say about Dahlin, he’s electric and he’s only 18, despite some errors he still is consistently a dominant player. He and Nelson were by far the best pairing on the ice tonight.
Brandon Montour
5v5 numbers
16 shot attempts for, 13 against (55.2% CF%)
9 scoring chances for, 7 against (56.3% SCF%)
5 controlled breakouts
3 controlled entries
3 primary shot assists
Montour is fitting in nicely with the Sabres, he is super impressive and I can’t wait to see how he is used going forward, he isn’t a third pairing guy and hopefully his role will increase going forward.
The Bad
No surprises here but Ristolainen, Scandella and Thompson were not good tonight, Thompson was invisible and 6-55 were abysmal all night.
Rasmus Ristolainen
5v5 numbers:
15 shot attempts for, 22 against (40.5% CF%)
7 scoring chances for, 10 against (41.2% SCF%)
7 controlled breakouts
1 controlled entry
Ristolainen was not good, he and Scandella cannot play together … they were abysmal and although Ristolainen was terrible, Scandella was way worse.
Marco Scandella
5v5 numbers
14 shot attempts for, 24 against (36.8% CF%)
7 scoring chances for, 12 against (36.8% SCF%)
3 controlled breakouts
0 controlled entries
Aside from a slick breakout pass to Skinner, Scandella was terrible and if Phil doesn’t split him and Ristolainen up… well enjoy the ride I guess
Tage Thompson
5v5 numbers:
6 shot attempts for, 9 against (40% CF%)
2 scoring chances for, 4 against (33.3% SCF%)
1 controlled breakout
1 controlled entry
1 shot contribution
0 primary shot assists
Tage was invisible, he can’t be playing with fourth liners and expected to make an impact… his game isn’t complete. If Phil wants anything out of Tage he needs to be playing with impact playmakers.
Full game report can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lDAlJ-a3AjRl3CRsUDY7P_O6HNWTDC4zxWbfx8Bbs2k/edit?usp=sharing
or on our advanced stats page
Follow @austin_broad for more game reports and advanced stats
