The Buffalo Sabres have had a rough go around this season, and there are plenty of reasons for why that is. One in particular that stands out is the fact that their two star players Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin have not been as impactful as they have needed to be. Of the two, Dahlin has been better, but there is still a lot more that is expected of both of them. If Buffalo wants to shed their season slump and continue winning in 2024, it is going to take some massive performances from now until April. Thankfully, with the talent they possess, there is a good chance that they can perform up to a higher standard to bring home some more wins.
Tage Thompson Is Heating Up
Since the middle of December, Thompson has been a much more consistent scoring threat while he is on the ice. He has put up five goals and ten points since Dec. 19, and he looks much better as a whole than he did earlier in the season. After his breakout campaign in 2022-23, he has struggled to find consistency in his point production, and that has been a huge problem for the Sabres. When a team’s best-scoring player is unable to produce at the needed rate, there will be struggles as a whole for the offense. When Thompson is on his game and making impact plays, the offense is always flowing better for the Sabres. When he is making good offensive plays, his linemates Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch also highly benefit from that, and they look unstoppable.
With his numbers slowly coming back to how he is expected to play, he will likely finish the season with respectable scoring numbers. Will he be close to his 47 goals and 47 assists from last season? No, but he still has the capability of surpassing the 30-goal and the 30-35 assist mark. While it would be considered a down year for sure, the more important thing is getting his confidence back so he can play like the potential 50-goal scorer that lots of people think he can be. Not every season will be a career year, and this will be the case for Thompson in 2023-24, but if he keeps up how is currently playing, he will be a dangerous player for the remainder of the season; and that is what really matters right now.
Rasmus Dahlin Should Take Over More Games
A defenseman rarely has the qualities and capabilities to control or take over a game, but Rasmus Dahlin is one of those defenders. He has elite skating ability, some of the best vision for playmaking, and a top-tier shot in the NHL, but there are many nights that it feels like he isn’t using all of those talents. Yes, he is currently leading the league in goal scoring for defensemen with 12 goals, but offensive numbers don’t tell the full story as to how Dahlin has been playing. The numbers he has been sporting all look good on the offensive side (12 goals, 32 points), but he is also currently sporting a minus-13 for his plus/minus stat, and he has been lax on a number of key defensive scenarios that have directly led to goals against.
Cleaning up the plays in his own zone first will do wonders for the team, and will allow him to transition up ice for better offensive plays at the other end. There are nights that he looks unstoppable between his offensive choices, passes, dangles around opposing players, and the hits he throws in both ends, and then there are nights that you only notice the mistakes he has, and there are no redeeming qualities to the game he played on that given night. He is still young and developing at the ripe age of 23, but if the Sabres want to have a real chance at making any sort of playoff push, Dahlin needs to look dominant every night from here on out.
Dahlin and Thompson Both Need Better Power Play Production
The Sabres’ power play is one of the worst things about their 2023-24 season thus far, and it would be fantastic to see Dahlin and Thompson both making it a relevant scoring threat once again. They both occupy the first power play unit, and they have a combined five goals between them on the man advantage. For being halfway through the season, that just is not good enough. Last season, Thompson had 20 power play goals, and Dahlin had 32 power play points. The two of them were a dynamic duo feeding off one another to make some great plays, but that lustre has been lost this season.
While a coaching adjustment could help the power play, the reality is still that it is the players that have to finish the scoring chances; it is Thompson and Dahlin that are relied on to put the puck in the net when they have the man advantage, but neither is doing very well with contributing on the power play. Thompson simply needs to shoot the puck more, as he finds himself trying to thread a perfect pass, or he is covered in his usual one-timer position. If he skates and finds a slight opening, he needs to shoot it. As far as Dahlin is concerned, he needs to be more creative with how he sets up plays from the point. Just continuing to feed a covered Thompson, or throwing the puck to the corner hoping that Tuch or Skinner will get it just isn’t good enough. He has the ability to be creative, and he needs to use it a lot more.
Hot Streaks Start With Hot Players
The only chance of saving this season and making it to the playoff race is the Sabres going on a few hot streaks and winning the bulk of their games. While an obvious solution, they have failed to register consecutive wins except for two different occasions, and have gained very little momentum at any point of the season. Getting star players like Dahlin and Thompson up to their needed speed will ignite the rest of the team, as well as provide the primary scoring threats that are desperately needed.
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A lot of factors play into hot streaks, but it starts with confidence. Dahlin definitely has the confidence boost of being named the Sabres’ All-Star selection, but Thompson really needs a few big games to get his swagger back. He is a goal scorer, and when the puck isn’t going in the net, that is a big blow to his confidence. Dahlin needs to continue working and try to take over more games with his skills, and Thompson needs to do the same by hitting the twine a lot more regularly. The entire team looks to these players as on-ice leaders, and they need to start performing like the star players they have shown they can be. If they don’t, this season will spiral down the drain faster and faster until we are back talking about who they will be picking in the top 10 of the 2024 Draft.
