Sabres season defined by key injuries, offensive woes

The Buffalo Sabres (23-36-12, 58 points) were eliminated from contention in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when the New Jersey Devils defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-0 on Saturday.
The Sabres have not made the playoffs since 2010-11 when they lost against the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Depending on the NHL Draft Lottery results, they could select among the top four picks in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft on June 22 in Dallas.
Here is a look at what happened in 2017-18 for the Sabres and why things could be better in 2018-19:

The skinny

Potential UFAs: Benoit Pouliot, LW; Jordan Nolan, C; Jacob Josefson, C; Josh Gorges, D; Casey Nelson, D; Justin Falk, D; Chad Johnson, G.
Potential RFAs: Sam Reinhart, C; Nick Baptiste, RW; Seth Griffith, RW; Scott Wilson, LW; Victor Antipin, D; Robin Lehner, G.
Potential 2018 Draft picks: 7

What went wrong

Sputtering offense:Just five players have scored at least 13 goals, and Evander Kane, who scored 20, was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 26. Jason Pominville (12 goals) has only six since Halloween, Johan Larsson has four (two into an empty net), Zemgus Girgensons has seven in 65 games and no defenseman scored a goal until December. Buffalo is 30th in the League in scoring, averaging 2.41 goals per game despite ranking sixth with a 51.8 face-off percentage. It ranks 24th (17.5 percent) on the power play after finishing first (24.5 percent) in 2016-17.

Home ice woes:There were hopes of building upon a 20-15-6 record at KeyBank Center last season, the team's first 20-win season on home ice since 2011-12. Instead, they have the fewest home wins (11-20-5) in the League this season.
No lead safe:They rank 31st in the League in winning percentage when leading after one period (.555), and 28th when leading after two periods (.750).

Reasons for optimism

Jack Eichel: Despite missing 15 games because of an ankle injury, Eichel, 21, showed why he is the future by leading the team in goals (22), assists (32) and points (54) in 56 games.

Help on way:There are high hopes for several prospects, including forward Alexander Nylander, who is playing for Rochester of the American Hockey League, and University of Minnesota center Casey Mittelstadt. Mittelstadt was voted MVP of the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship with the United States, and ranked second at Minnesota in scoring with 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 34 games as a freshman.
Drafting Dahlin:They are 30th in the standings, one point ahead of the Arizona Coyotes, and could have a good chance to select defenseman Rasmus Dahlin of Frolunda (Sweden) in the draft.