Jack Quinn Is Turning Around the Sabres

Since returning from an achilles injury, it’s very apparent that the Buffalo Sabres are simply different with Jack Quinn in the lineup. The 22 year-old, offensive-minded winger has assumed his familiar place on Dylan Cozens’ right wing and the team has looked much more like they did last season.

Whether this can be attributed to Quinn, scoring depth, or a little bit of both, let’s breakdown why his return has turned around Buffalo’s fortunes.

The Jack Quinn Effect

How much have the Sabres turned things around since Quinn’s return? Well, in the eight games since he’s been back the team has gone 4-3-1. That’s nine points in eight games, or a 56.25% point percentage.

That might not seem all that impressive on the surface, but in the 32 games without Quinn Buffalo was 13-16-3. That’s a 45.31% point percentage, which had them on a 74-point pace in the standings. The Philadelphia Flyers finished with 75 points last season, which was good for 26th in the league.

A 56.25% point percentage, on the other hand, is over a 92-point pace. That’s much more equivalent to last season, as the Sabres finished with 91 points and were one point out of the playoffs.

A Change in Philosophy

A huge increase in goal scoring has been the biggest change that has lead to the team’s success. In the eight games Quinn has played this season, the Sabres have averaged 3.88 goals per game. That’s over a goal per game more than the 2.78 they averaged in the previous 32 games.

Quinn himself has four goals and five points in those eight games, which is a 41-goal and 51-point pace over 82 games for the second-year NHLer.

He’s not the only one picking up the scoring pace, though.

Tage Thompson has five goals and 10 points in seven games since Quinn’s return. Jeff Skinner has nine points in seven games. Alex Tuch and Casey Mittelstadt have eight points in eight games. All-Star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin has five goals and seven points in eight games.

It’s clear that a healthier lineup has led to a whole new philosophy change, as the Sabres have reverted to their run-and-gun style of play from last season. Perhaps Quinn’s absence was forcing their hand, but the emphasis on defense simply was not equating to wins.

Jack Quinn’s Attributes

If you read my piece on Pittsburgh Penguins forward Valtteri Puustinen, you’ve seen the PuckLuck model is now able to recognize player traits. This allows us to see what players are doing well compared to their peers, sorting each player’s rate stats into a percentile.

Here’s what Jack Quinn’s player profile currently looks like: