Sabres penalty kill improvements are also finding ways to create offense

Buffalo's penalty kill is improved over last season and much improved over where it was earlier this year. It's also finding offensive chances despite the disadvantage.

Jordan Greenway has been a key figure in the Sabres penalty kill becoming a dual threat. (Photo: Joe Yerdon)

Before you delete this newsletter from your email or close the browser window in frustration, you should understand that, despite the unlikelihood of the Buffalo Sabres making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they’re working things out that have needed to be addressed for some time in the hopes that it’ll become a strength for them in the seasons to come.

One of the biggest shortcomings of the Sabres earlier this season, and most certainly last season, was their penalty kill. Special teams might not provide the razzle dazzle fans are looking for from their favorite team, but they can sure change the perception of a game when looking back on wins and losses.

We’ve already put the bullseye on their power play this year as the leading culprit for why they’re not making the postseason, but it’s been their penalty killing that helped invigorate their strong play into the month of March.

Killing penalties isn’t sexy, but it’s a lot more exciting for the right reasons when it’s stopping opponents from scoring and creating scoring chances of their own.

“We've had some PK goals and that’s good because we want to be as aggressive as possible,” Alex Tuch said. “We have to be smart when we're aggressive and we have to be aggressive together.”

Creating scoring chances when you’re supposed to be killing penalties is low on the priority list in that situation, but the Sabres have used some of their more skilled players up front on the kill to not just pressure opponents on the outside but cause full disruption of their systems.

Where that determination and that adjustment to the PK has come from is part of why it’s been so interesting to see it evolve and be effective.