In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll discuss a few storylines that developed during the madness of March.

No Saves for the Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have struggled to keep the puck out of their net this month, surrendering 58 goals over 14 games (4.36 goals against per game). All three of their goaltenders have seen action this month, and all three hold save percentages below .900. Eric Comrie is at an .895 through four starts, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is at an .879 through six, and Craig Anderson is at an .841 in four. Although, it's worth mentioning Comrie's stats are weighed down by an outing against Dallas in which he surrendered 10 goals on 49 shots. His save percentage was above .915 in each of this other three starts. So, if the Sabres are looking for the hot hand among their 'experienced' netminders, Comrie is probably the closest thing they have to it right now. Fortunately, he isn't their only option. The Sabres recently signed Devon Levi, one of the game's top goaltending prospects, to an entry-level contract. He's been practicing with the team and could see some action as Buffalo makes one final push for the playoffs in these last nine games. There may be some hesitance to throw a 21-year-old netminder into his first NHL start when the stakes are so high, but with the level of goaltending Buffalo's been getting lately, it might make sense to give Levi a shot. The Sabres have a back-to-back set this week as they play the Rangers on Friday and the Flyers on Saturday. Given the state of Philadelphia's roster, if Buffalo wants to give Levi an audition, Saturday night seems like the perfect time to do it.  

March of the Penguins

March has been a tough month for Tristan Jarry. He's been pulled a few times due to rough starts – which is reflected in his 4.04 GAA and .861 save percentage over nine outings. In contrast, backup Casey Desmith holds a 2.40 GAA and .921 save percentage through seven appearances this month. Jarry has battled through a few injuries this season, the latest of which prevented him from starting Pittsburgh's last two games. With the Penguins in a tight battle for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs, it'll be interesting to see how they deploy their goalies down this final stretch. I imagine Jarry would be their primary option despite his recent form, but if he's not healthy, DeSmith may see a few more starts than initially anticipated.

A-Stützle Observation

The 21-year-old forward continues to add exclamation marks to what was already an impressive breakout campaign. Tim Stützle sits eighth in league scoring this month, racking up 19 points over 14 games. Remarkably, only three of those points were tallied with the power play. That's worth noting because prior to this stretch, a significant portion of Stützle's total points had been scored on the power play. Between October 2021 and February 2023, 40% of Stützle's points came with the man advantage. In fact, when Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat joined Ottawa in the summer of 2022, Stützle's fantasy value took a hit as there was speculation the newcomers would eat into his power-play role. Fortunately, that didn't end up happening as Stützle has seen 65% of his team's time with the man advantage this season. However, I bring up that story because it provides an important point of contrast, allowing us to appreciate this recent run of non-power-play production. Heading into this season, it seemed like Stützle's offensive output was heavily dependent on his power-play deployment. With his recent play, Stützle has shown himself as an elite offensive talent that can produce in all situations. He's become someone who demands power-play opportunity rather than someone who depends on it.

Math is hot, son

Among league defensemen, Mike Matheson sits fifth in scoring this month, posting 13 points in 14 games. Montreal has a lot of young up-and-coming talent on their blueline, but Matheson has quickly established himself as the team's top defenseman. He's been relied upon heavily, averaging 25 minutes and 45 seconds of ice time this month – only four players in the league saw more action. Now it's one thing to play a lot and it's another thing to play well, a lot. Based on reporters following the team, it sounds like Matheson has been doing the latter. Since he's playing his best hockey of the season when a fair number of fantasy teams are already done for the year, there's a chance his recent run will fly under the radar. That may result in him being undervalued during fantasy drafts for the 2023-2024 campaign. Matheson is a talented blueliner who has battled through injuries and is finally showing what he can do as a number-one defenseman. It's a role he should maintain next year and it's a role that'll look even better as this young Canadiens' core gets healthier and continues to develop.