Empty-Net Lab · Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres Goalie Pull Tracker
When the Sabres pull the goalie down one and down two, how that compares with the rest of the league and with past coaches, what happens while the net is empty at both ends, and who is on the ice for it.
When the Sabres pull the goalie, 2025-26
Share of late deficits with the goalie pulled, by time left in the 3rd period
When the Sabres pull the goalie, 2025-26. BUF down 1: half pulled by 2:00 remaining, 58% pulled with 2:00 left (20 trailing spells); BUF down 2: half pulled by 2:40 remaining, 89% pulled with 2:00 left (21 trailing spells); NHL down 1: half pulled by 2:00 remaining, 51% pulled with 2:00 left (831 trailing spells).
Sabres goalie pulls by coach
| Coach | Seasons | Median pull, down 1 | Pulled by 2:00 | Median pull, down 2 | Tied it, down 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindy Ruff | 2024-25 to 2026-27 | 2:21 (51) | 62% | 2:45 (52) | 2 / 33 |
| Don Granato | 2020-21 to 2023-24 | 1:32 (85) | 23% | 2:32 (75) | 5 / 52 |
| Ralph Krueger | 2019-20 to 2020-21 | 2:05 (33) | 65% | 2:41 (32) | 5 / 25 |
| Phil Housley | 2017-18 to 2018-19 | 1:43 (65) | 25% | 3:01 (64) | 5 / 43 |
Regular season since 2017-18, every club of the franchise. In brackets: late deficits behind the median; coaches with fewer than 10 are a small sample.
Sabres season by season
| Season | Median pull, down 1 | Median pull, down 2 | 6v5 time | GF pulled | ENG against | ENG for | GA vs extra attacker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | – (1) | 2:25 (1) | 0:18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025-26 | 2:00 (20) | 2:40 (21) | 28:30 | 2 | 19 | 27 | 9 |
| 2024-25 | 2:21 (30) | 2:49 (30) | 70:32 | 9 | 25 | 12 | 7 |
| 2023-24 | 1:38 (25) | 3:10 (19) | 52:47 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 3 |
| 2022-23 | 1:32 (20) | 2:17 (22) | 28:37 | 3 | 17 | 15 | 10 |
| 2021-22 | 1:23 (26) | 2:44 (26) | 29:36 | 2 | 17 | 12 | 1 |
| 2020-21 | 1:39 (24) | 2:31 (19) | 39:56 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 4 |
| 2019-20 | 2:10 (23) | 3:07 (21) | 48:35 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 5 |
| 2018-19 | 1:42 (32) | 3:01 (31) | 47:31 | 4 | 17 | 7 | 3 |
| 2017-18 | 1:47 (33) | 3:02 (33) | 59:25 | 7 | 22 | 11 | 9 |
Who is on the ice for the Sabres, 2025-26
Extra attacker (6-on-5)
- Tage Thompson21:58 · 77%
- Rasmus Dahlin18:15 · 75%
- Alex Tuch17:19 · 64%
- Jason Zucker14:43 · 63%
- Bowen Byram13:40 · 48%
- Josh Doan12:46 · 45%
- Ryan McLeod10:52 · 38%
- Jack Quinn10:45 · 38%
Empty-net defense
- Mattias Samuelsson39:48 · 61%
- Alex Tuch31:44 · 49%
- Bowen Byram29:52 · 44%
- Ryan McLeod24:52 · 37%
- Rasmus Dahlin23:39 · 37%
- Tage Thompson23:04 · 34%
- Owen Power22:43 · 34%
- Peyton Krebs21:27 · 32%
Empty-net goals
- Peyton Krebs5 G, 3 A
- Tage Thompson3 G, 5 A
- Ryan McLeod3 G, 3 A
- Zach Benson3 G, 3 A
- Josh Norris3 G, 2 A
- Rasmus Dahlin3 G, 0 A
- Jack Quinn2 G, 2 A
- Mattias Samuelsson1 G, 4 A
% = share of the team's time in that situation in the games the player dressed. Empty-net defense time is where empty-net goals come from.
Recent Sabres goalie pulls
| Date | Opponent | Down | Pulled with | Time pulled | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1 | CBJ | 2 | 2:25 | 0:18 | Empty-net goal against |
| Apr 2 | OTT | 1 | 2:39 | 0:21 | Empty-net goal against |
| Apr 2 | OTT | 2 | 2:05 | 0:47 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 27 | DET | 2 | 3:20 | 1:37 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 12 | WSH | 1 | 1:27 | 1:27 | No goal |
| Feb 5 | PIT | 2 | 3:19 | 3:05 | Empty-net goal against |
| Jan 31 | MTL | 1 | 2:00 | 1:12 | Empty-net goal against |
| Jan 31 | MTL | 2 | 0:39 | 0:39 | No goal |
| Jan 19 | CAR | 1 | 2:22 | 2:10 | No goal |
| Jan 12 | FLA | 1 | 1:45 | 0:31 | Empty-net goal against |
| Jan 12 | FLA | 2 | 0:56 | 0:42 | Scored |
| Jan 12 | FLA | 1 | 0:14 | 0:14 | No goal |
FAQ
When do the Sabres pull their goalie?
In 2025-26 under Lindy Ruff, the Buffalo Sabres had pulled their goalie in half of their late one-goal deficits with 2:00 left in the 3rd period, and in 58% with 2:00 or more left (20 games trailing by one in the last 10 minutes).
How many empty-net goals have the Sabres allowed?
With their goalie pulled in 2025-26, the Buffalo Sabres scored 2 and allowed 19 empty-net goals in 28:30 of 6-on-5 time. Defending an empty net, they scored 27 empty-net goals and allowed 9 goals to the extra attacker.
How is goalie pull time measured?
From the NHL shift charts: the first moment in a deficit when the team had no goalie on the ice, excluding delayed penalties. The curve counts every late deficit, including ones erased before a pull, so it is not biased toward long deficits.