Loading ...When the Buffalo Sabres made moves last season and this offseason to bolster up their centers, they anticipated a rise in the number of won faceoffs.
The acquisition of centers Cody Hodgson and Steve Ott were made in an effort to win more faceoffs overall. Since the beginning of the season, the Sabres have won 41.3% of their faceoffs. That's last in the league.
While Hodgson is still young and could become better in the circle, the success rate this season is lacking.
Faceoffs aren't the only place that the centers are seeing a lack of production.
Here is a table displaying how the Sabres centers are looking statistically:
| Player | Goals | Assists | +/- |
| Cody Hodgson | 5 | 5 | -1 |
| Tyler Ennis | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Steve Ott | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Jochen Hecht | 0 | 2 | -3 |
| Mikhail Grigorenko | 1 | 1 | -4 |
| Cody McCormick | 0 | 0 | -2 |
Overall, the centers for the Sabres have combined for 10 goals and 13 assists but are -10 overall.
Without Hodgson, the centers would have 13 points collectively, which is less than Thomas Vanek (19 points) and Jason Pominville (14 points).
The Sabres can't afford to continue this trend if they wish to make the playoffs this season. Consistently losing faceoffs and a lack of offensive production aren't going to be good enough.
The Sabres will look to start their turnaround Thursday as they host the Montreal Canadiens at 7:00 p.m.
Tags: Buffalo, Buffalo Sabres, Hockey, NHLRelated Videos
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