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Grading the Buffalo Sabres at the Quarter Mark

With just over a quarter of the season done, let’s look at the Sabres.

With just over a quarter of the NHL season complete, the Buffalo Sabres have seen their fair share of ups and downs, ebbs and flows. We can certainly talk about the team as a whole and judge its performance, but today, I’d like to take a look at each player and grade them on their performance thus far. Taking into consideration a little bit of everything - offensive production, defensive structure, ice time, etc. - this is where I’m at right now.

Here’s the grading scale I’m using:

  • A - exceeds expectations
  • B - meets expectations
  • C - partially meets expectations
  • D - does not meet expectations
  • F - definitely fails expectations/

Note: only players who have skated in at least half of the team’s games so far are included here. It’s simply very challenging to judge players who haven’t really played much - so guys like Tyson Jost and Mattias Samuelsson, along with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, aren’t listed.

A - Exceeds Expectations

  • Craig Anderson (G) - 9 games played, 8 games started, 4-4, .917 sv%, 2.76 GAA
  • Tage Thompson (F) - 21 games played, 26 points (13-13)
  • Rasmus Dahin (D) - 20 games played, 23 points (8-15)/

B - Meets Expectations

  • Alex Tuch (F) - 21 games played, 21 points (10-11)
  • Jeff Skinner (F) - 21 games played, 21 points (9-12)
  • Dylan Cozens (F) - 21 games played, 15 points (5-10)
  • JJ Peterka (F) - 21 games played, 10 points (4-6)
  • Jack Quinn (F) - 16 games played, 9 points (3-6)
  • Owen Power (D) - 21 games played, 9 points (0-9)/

C  - Partially Meets Expectations (But I’d Like to See More From Them)

  • Eric Comrie (G) - 11 games played, 11 games started, 4-7, .887 sv%, 3.62 GAA
  • Victor Olofsson (F) - 21 games played, 13 points (11-2)
  • Casey Mittelstadt (F) - 21 games played, 13 points (5-8)
  • Kyle Okposo (F) - 15 games played, 9 points (1-8)
  • Vinnie Hinostroza (F) - 14 games played, 8 points (0-8)
  • Rasmus Asplund (F) - 17 games played, 6 points (2-4)
  • Lawrence Pilut (D) - 11 games played, 1 point (0-1)/

D - Does Not Meet Expectations

  • Jacob Bryson (D) - 20 games played, 6 points (1-5)
  • Zemgus Girgensons (F) - 20 games played, 5 points (3-2)
  • Peyton Krebs (F) - 17 games played, 3 points (0-3)
  • Ilya Lyubushkin (D) - 16 games played, 0 points (0-1)/

F - Definitely Fails Expectations

  • Casey Fitzgerald (D) - 13 games played, 1 point (0-1)/

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