Even Jack Eichel cannot save the Buffalo Sabres from their miserable goaltending

There are only a few teams worse off in the standings than the Buffalo Sabres. Arizona has yet to win a game in the 2017-18 season while Montreal’s offense continues to stall with no signs of hope.

As for the Sabres, who rank as the NHL’s third-worst team in the league with just one win after eight games, there are some bright spots. Namely Jack Eichel, who has 10 points in eight games played. In the Sabres’ Friday night loss to the Vancouver Canucks, Eichel notched his third tally of the season on a beautiful end-to-end goal that gave Buffalo a lead that would not last.

Eichel is one of two Sabres players now on the season with double digits in points, as he joined Evander Kane after Friday night’s performance. The young forward has done well so far this season, and it’s a good start in re-establishing himself after losing some of his first two seasons to injury.

Unfortunately for the Sabres, Eichel can only do so much. While their offense hasn’t produced much outside of Eichel and Kane, where the Sabres are really falling down is on special teams, and by extension goaltending.

In Friday night’s game, the Sabres gave up their sixth shorthanded goal on the season through eight games. The next highest team total? Three, via the New York Islanders. While the Sabres power play is right around the league average success rate at 18.52 percent, allowing shorthanded chances when they should be on the attack is a troubling trend, and it’s starting to lose them games.

The Sabres have won only one of the five games in which they allowed a shorthanded goal. In three of those five games, the shorthanded goal was the game-tying or game-winning tally.

Last season, the New Jersey Devils led the NHL with 12 shorthanded goals against. In just eight games, the Sabres are halfway to that mark.

While the shorthanded goals came mostly thanks to turnovers or unlucky bounces, it’s up to the goaltender to make the big stop to bail out the defense. Unfortunately for the Sabres, neither Robin Lehner nor Chad Johnson have been up to the task this season.

Lehner has been solid for the Sabres since coming over from Ottawa, as he’s posted a .920 save percentage and a .924 save percentage in his last two seasons. However, Lehner isn’t in the league’s top tier of starting netminders, and that’s been the case this season as he’s averaged an even .900 save percentage.

Johnson also hasn’t done much to inspire confidence, as his .863 save percentage this season ranks as one of the NHL’s worst so far. Combined, the Sabres have allowed over 30 goals this season, as they’ve become the fourth NHL team to do so this year.

Given the way the Sabres’ offense has played so far this year, they’ve yet to show the makings of an improved team. However, being the league leaders in shorthanded goals allowed alongside having two of the NHL’s worst goaltenders this year has lost them too many games this early in the season.

Eichel can only do so much for his team, and their special teams failings have colored his otherwise standout start for the Sabres.