Sabres v. Flyers – Scoring Chances

This is the “Sabres Clinch the Playoffs” edition of the new scoring chances feature at Die by the Blade. I want to write that one more time…the Sabres Clinch the Playoffs. That feels good to say, especially when thinking about where this team was back in November.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Nathan Gerbe and his highlight reel goal to tie the score in the third period. Much like people were ready to give up on the Sabres, they were ready to give up on Nathan Gerbe. He has been red hot in the second half of the season and he played a huge role tonight with a pair of goals.

Of course it was Thomas Vanek that sealed the deal with a pretty breakaway goal in overtime. The most impressive part of the overtime winner was how hard Vanek fought to get through a slash before beating Bobrovsky to the elation of the sellout crowd in attendance.

It was a special night for the entire Sabres franchise with over 80 Buffalo Sabres alumni in attendance to celebrate the Sabres 40 years in the NHL. The crowd witnessed a special night and they were going home happy as soon as the game went overtime which clinched a playoff birth. The Vanek overtime winner was just icing on the cake and the perfect end to a special night.

I decided to start a new feature here at Die by the Blade and track scoring chances like many other sites are doing. While this is a very subjective stat and is based mostly on my own opinion, I did use a criteria courtesy of The Copper and Blue.

Here is the definition of a scoring chance via Copper and Blue…

a scoring chance is defined as a clear play directed toward the opposing net from a dangerous scoring area – loosely defined as the top of the circle in and inside the faceoff dots, though sometimes slightly more generous than that depending on the amount of immediately-preceding puck movement or screens in front of the net. Blocked shots are generally not included but missed shots are. A player is awarded a scoring chance anytime he is on the ice and someone from either team has a chance to score. He is awarded a “chance for” if someone on his team has a chance to score and a “chance against” if the opposing team has a chance to score.

Like many others that are using the app, a special thanks to Vic Ferrari for his hard work in creating this and many other apps.

Scoring Chances for NHL Game Number 21207

This chart tracks individual player ice time as well as scoring chances when the player is on the ice. The green numbers indicate the scoring chances for and the red numbers indicate the scoring chances against.

This charts the chances for each team by period and by situation. Because we are tracking the numbers for the Sabres, they will be listed first and the opponent listed second.