Sabres lead the NHL in Penalty Killing at 95.7% (22 of 23 killed) and 5th in PP at 27.8%

[matter2003]

What in the Sam Hill is going on here?

Sabres special teams are actually a help rather than a hindrance??

Is this team feeling OK??

[Brawndo]

I’ll take it as long as it lasts 

[Wyldnwoody44]

I'm tellin ya, Appert spent a lot of time Massaging his PP, really put his mind and hands to work to manipulate it, really softened things up on the other side and made it very hard in the process. 

They are entering swiftly and not pulling out, congrats, in 9 months, we'll celebrate a little Stanley 

😜

[LGR4GM]

38 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

What in the Sam Hill is going on here?

Sabres special teams are actually a help rather than a hindrance??

Is this team feeling OK??

[DarthEbriate]

I am surprised. Particularly by the PK. They've really limited shots from the slot and Lyon has been lights-out.

The PP has been good, but it's because Zucker and Doan are going and standing in front of the goalie. It's uniqe for Appert historically, but it's nothing revolutionary around the league. (They've gotten a couple fortuitous bounces.)

[pi2000]

[thewookie1]

PP has looked good for 2 games thanks to Benson’s return and a complete departure from idle passing and hoping Thompson puts the puck through the goalie, net, boards, and the unlucky fan in the 1st row. 

[kas23]

9 hours ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

I'm tellin ya, Appert spent a lot of time Massaging his PP, really put his mind and hands to work to manipulate it, really softened things up on the other side and made it very hard in the process. 

They are entering swiftly and not pulling out, congrats, in 9 months, we'll celebrate a little Stanley 

😜

What I really think he tried to impress on his players is how not to run an NHL PP. Really got his hands dirty to make it as horrible as possible. Once the players understood the ins and outs of truly sucking, he then told them to do the exact opposite. It became very clear to the players what they shouldn’t be doing. 

[Big Guava]

8 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

PP has looked good for 2 games thanks to Benson’s return and a complete departure from idle passing and hoping Thompson puts the puck through the goalie, net, boards, and the unlucky fan in the 1st row. 

I'm more impressed with the PK. This actually looks like some of the players they have gotten to understand their roles and how to be good PK players and seems like we might be pretty good...obviously no way we maintain this pace but mid to upper 80s would be miles better than where we have been.

Edited yesterday at 12:45 PM by Big Guava

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, Big Guava said:

I'm more impressed with the PK. This actually looks like some of the players they have gotten to understand their roles and how to be good PK players and seems like we might be pretty good...obviously no way we maintain this pace but mid to upper 80s would be miles better than where we have been.

They finally got away from the fully Tage-centric PP.

[mjd1001]

With regard to the Penalty Kill:

The penalty kill tends to look good when your goalie is making saves and not kicking out huge rebounds.

-This year they are allowing 1.2 'scoring chances' per minute short handed. 0.52 'high danger' chances per minute. 1.17 shots per minute.

-Last year they allowed 0.88 'scoring chances' per minute short handed. 0.36 'high danger' chances per minute. 0.86 shots per minute.

In terms of shots allowed, official scoring chances allwed and high danger chances allowed, the PK is worse this year than it was last year.

The difference is goaltending.  Alex Lyon this year has stopped 48 of 49 shots shorthanded, a .980 save percentage.

Last year, the goalies had a .830 save percentage SH.

On 49 shots faced this year, if the Sabres goalies had the same .830 save percentage, they would have allowed 8 or more PP goals already this year, not one.

So again, the stats show they are allowing MORE shots, MORE high danger shots, MORE scoring chances, better shots taken from better locations on the ice than last year.  The ONLY thing better this year is goaltending.

I think when you look at the Sabres PK overall, last year they weren't terrible. They did have some defensive breakdowns, but not a ton more than other teasm.  They were average-to-above average positionally until there was a big rebound or until Dylan Cozens decided to go rogue and leave spots wide open.  Just they had near historically bad goaltending on the PK...and that wasn't just they allowed super great chances...its just their goalies on a lot of shots you want saves..didn't give them to you.

[Archie Lee]

2 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

With regard to the Penalty Kill:

The penalty kill tends to look good when your goalie is making saves and not kicking out huge rebounds.

-This year they are allowing 1.2 'scoring chances' per minute short handed. 0.52 'high danger' chances per minute. 1.17 shots per minute.

-Last year they allowed 0.88 'scoring chances' per minute short handed. 0.36 'high danger' chances per minute. 0.86 shots per minute.

In terms of shots allowed, official scoring chances allwed and high danger chances allowed, the PK is worse this year than it was last year.

The difference is goaltending.  Alex Lyon this year has stopped 48 of 49 shots shorthanded, a .980 save percentage.

Last year, the goalies had a .830 save percentage SH.

On 49 shots faced this year, if the Sabres goalies had the same .830 save percentage, they would have allowed 8 or more PP goals already this year, not one.

So again, the stats show they are allowing MORE shots, MORE high danger shots, MORE scoring chances, better shots taken from better locations on the ice than last year.  The ONLY thing better this year is goaltending.

I think when you look at the Sabres PK overall, last year they weren't terrible. They did have some defensive breakdowns, but not a ton more than other teams.  They were average-to-above average positionally until there was a big rebound or until Dylan Cozens decided to go rogue and leave spots wide open.  Just they had near historically bad goaltending on the PK...and that wasn't just they allowed super great chances...its just their goalies on a lot of shots you want saves..didn't give them to you.

And, to the bolded, I know you aren't implying otherwise, but it is maybe important to note that we are 5 games into the season.  Also, we might recall that at the end of November last season, UPL was 8-5-2 with a .908 save% (his save% in November of last season was a stellar .926).  Our goaltending was not terrible all of last season.  It got worse as the year went on. 

Yesterday was fun, though.  Lyon, Doan, and Timmins have all been very good.  I'm excited to see Kesselring.  Benson has been a revelation in his return. But, as you point out, Lyon is on a heater. 

 

[Doohickie]

On 10/18/2025 at 7:03 PM, Brawndo said:

I’ll take it as long as it lasts 

"This is how we play every night from now on."

[Doohickie]

On 10/19/2025 at 5:05 AM, kas23 said:

What I really think he tried to impress on his players is how not to run an NHL PP. Really got his hands dirty to make it as horrible as possible. Once the players understood the ins and outs of truly sucking, he then told them to do the exact opposite. It became very clear to the players what they shouldn’t be doing. 

And yet the drop pass persists.

[DarthEbriate]

43 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

And yet the drop pass persists.

Baby steps.

It's so fun to watch them have a defender backing off at the blue line, then drop pass back to center ice, and have to hold up to avoid the offside, only for the next skater to take the puck -- with speed, but now having to dodge their own player to enter the zone. Then get hung up on the now-stopped defender, and lose it to get chipped back down the ice.

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, Doohickie said:

And yet the drop pass persists.

Many teams do this.