You may recall a piece I wrote about two months ago that highlighted the struggles of the Buffalo Sabres transition game. Under Ralph Krueger, this season, they may have been one of the worst transition teams I’ve ever watched. We are finding out now that it was likely part of a system issue, but their passing was atrocious as well.

It has been night and day under Don Granato. The Sabres interim head coach has transformed their transition and offense overall as a result. He has them playing a more open and high-event style of hockey. At the very least he has made the club more entertaining to watch.

Microstats Improvement

I linked the article I wrote a few months ago above if you want a full recap of what it was like under Krueger. I’ll give you a quick, high-level refresher. The Sabres were a team that still attempted to enter the zone with possession, but they had one of the highest failed entry attempt percentages in the league. They were also one of the worst teams in the league in generating scoring chances off of controlled possessions.

Under Granato, they’re entering the offensive zone with possession at a similar rate in Corey Sznajder’s tracking data. In the games Corey has tracked, they have a controlled entry rate of 7.77 per 60 minutes and were at 7.0 with Krueger.

The big change you’re going to see is in the other areas showing the Sabres are generating offense off the rush. They went from ranked 22nd in the league in shots off the rush per 60 minutes under Krueger to second in the league with Granato.

You’ll see above how they improved from 2.97 shots off the rush at 5 on 5 per 60 minutes to 3.98 in the games coached by Granato.

Spinning off of that is the improvement in generating offense off the rush. It’s one thing to enter the zone with possession, but if you’re not doing anything with then it means nothing. The Sabres were an empty-calorie entry team when Krueger was the coach.

Now, you’ll see below an example of how that has changed. They’ve improved from 28th in 5v5 passing plays off a controlled entry to 10th in the league under Granato’s system.

Due to the increase in passing plays, the scoring chances on the rush have improved. This time we’ll see them jump from 25th in the league early in the season to 15th in the league in the second half of the year.

Offensive Transformation

As a result of the improvement in their transition game, the Sabres are generating more offense. They’ve gone from the worst 5 on 5 scoring team in the league scoring 1.98 goals per 60 minutes to scoring 2.21 goals per 60 minutes, according to Evolving Hockey. That 5v5 scoring rate ranks them 19th in the stretch of hockey under Granato.

Now, some of that increased scoring is on the back of a higher team shooting percentage, but they’ve been able to score more due to an improved rush attack. As I said back in early March, it’s easier to score on the rush than against a set defensive structure.

We’re consistently seeing goals like this one the other night against the New York Rangers.

We’ve also seen a handful of these rush finishes from Arttu Ruotsalainen.

Overall the Sabres shot quality for at 5 on 5 has improved under Granato. They’ve gone from an expected goals rate of 2.09 per 60 minutes to 2.15 per 60 with their interim head coach, according to Evolving Hockey. That may not seem like a significant jump, but remember this is a team that is without some talented offensive players.

That’s what makes this improvement in scoring and transition offense all the more impressive. Under Krueger, they had Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall on the roster. They are two of the better transition forwards in the league and also were the key drivers in generating quality scoring chances for the Sabres. Any type of offensive improvement without those players should be recognized as substantial.

This area of improvement is another feather in the cap of Granato as he looks to have his interim tag removed. He has put up a good case and made Kevyn Adams’ decision on the next coach a little more difficult.

Data via: Corey Sznajder and Evolving Hockey

Photo Credit: Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images