The Sabres have needed to help their goaltenders often in 2026-27. They went above and beyond in their win over the Los Angeles Kings.
On Saturday, the Sabres defeated the Kings 3-2 and blocked 30 shots in the process. What's more impressive? Buffalo came into the game with only 11.9 blocked shots per game. That number ranked 28th in the NHL.
With goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen struggling throughout the first month of the season, Buffalo needed to desperately step up. Heading into the game, Luukkonen had just an .866 save percentage, a 3.56 GAA, and a .125 quality starts percentage.
But he faced fewer shots on net (29) than the Sabres blocked. Luukkonen also made 27 saves, good for a .931 save percentage and one of his best outings of the season. The lesson for the Sabres is simple: start getting in front of more opposing shots and make the netminder's job easier.
At 5-on-5, Buffalo's numbers have been decent heading into the final game of the month. Their expected goals allowed (xGA) sat at 27.9, almost a full goal better than the NHL average of 28.6. Their 26 actual goals allowed further reflected this, and it was also better than the league average of 27.
The Sabres have also done a good job of limiting scoring chances, allowing just 254 before they faced off with the Kings. That was 31 better than the average of 285.
Finally, the Sabres have been better at limiting high-danger chances, with just 82 allowed compared to the league average of 100. They have allowed 8.9 percent of those chances for goals, which is just three-tenths of a percent worse than the league average of 8.6 percent.
That said, one of their biggest issues has been invading scoring lanes. For one afternoon, they resolved that issue and allowed two goals because of it. Considering that the Sabres allowed 46 goals in all situations heading into Saturday, which ranked 22nd in the league, they learned that they still have room to improve defensively.
Buffalo's 30 blocked shots are tied with the Ottawa Senators for second in a single game this season. It ranks behind only the Philadelphia Flyers , who notched 32 blocks on Oct. 1.
They won't reach that number all the time, if they even hit 30 again all season. But their overall number for the season should start trending north. The challenge, however, will be to regularly block shots against tougher opponents.
The Kings have struggled to score all season, with just 34 goals heading into Saturday. That number ranked 26th in the league, and it gets even worse when you look at their 5-on-5 numbers. Los Angeles' expected goals for (xGF) sat at just 22.7, and they were below average in scoring chances, with 241 and high-danger chances, with 92.
So the Sabres weren't exactly playing a high-octane team on Saturday. Still, they needed to start blocking shots, and the Kings were a perfect opponent. If the Sabres can get in front of shots against opponents that are always a danger to score, they will start climbing back up in the standings quickly.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Sabres Reached A Rare Defensive Feat In Win Over Kings appeared first on HEAVY .
