BUFFALO, N.Y. \u2014 Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said with the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs starting, every power play in the NHL is starting 0-0.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how the Sabres need to frame it after going 1-for-24 with the man advantage in the first round while allowing a short-handed goal. The Sabres did get a goal from Josh Doan seconds after a power play had expired, so those numbers could have been a bit better. But it\u2019s been an ugly stretch for the Sabres\u2019 power play. Dating back to April 2, the Sabres\u2019 power play is 1-for-46. Buffalo finished 21st on the power play in the regular season, and they\u2019re dead last in the postseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look at it right now that everybody\u2019s power play going into round two, you just wipe it clean and start again,\u201d Ruff said. \u201cI look at the series like we actually scored two goals. The numbers were one goal and it looks bad. But there\u2019s some bad numbers on good teams. Like we did today, we\u2019re going to continue to work at it. In some areas we\u2019re still a young power play and we have pieces in and out. The best power plays a lot of times are ones that have been together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The unit the Sabres are working with now is Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Josh Norris and Jason Zucker. Norris missed two games in the Boston series and was replaced by Noah \u00d6stlund, who seemed to be the fixer the Sabres were missing.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until Game 5 that the Sabres scored their first power-play goal in the month of April. But the floodgates didn\u2019t open from there; the team generated some dangerous chances in Game 6 but came up empty.<\/p>\n
Now, with \u00d6stlund sidelined and likely out for the series, it\u2019s back to the drawing board to find the next best configuration and tactical adjustments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought the first few power plays the other night were excellent and the goalie made good saves,\u201d Ruff said. \u201cYou have to be able to generate. Our entries were better. Our recoveries off of faceoffs were good. Just stay with the process and something will go.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sabres need something to go. Their second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens could be higher-scoring than the series they just played against the Bruins. The Canadiens had a top-10 power play in the regular season and just scored five power-play goals in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning.<\/p>\n
So what\u2019s going wrong with the Sabres\u2019 power play? Can they fix it?<\/p>\n
Buffalo\u2019s problems start at the dot.<\/p>\n
The Sabres were the worst faceoff team in the NHL during the regular season. And while some would say that stat doesn\u2019t matter much when it comes to wins and losses, it does matter on the power play. Losing a faceoff could help the opposing team kill off the first 30-45 seconds of the power play \u2014 whether it forces the Sabres to start battling for possession immediately, wasting time and energy, or creates the need for another regroup and set up.<\/p>\n
Buffalo doesn\u2019t have much of an answer here, especially on the top unit that always has to start at the dot. So far this postseason, Thompson has only won 25 percent of his faceoffs on the power play; Norris, who has taken some reps on PP1, isn\u2019t much better at 36.7 percent. Sam Carrick, their top faceoff taker, is returning from injury soon, but he\u2019s a fourth-line player without much experience on the power play.<\/p>\n
So if the Sabres can\u2019t win draws, they have to win more of the 50-50 puck battles that become a part of a lot of faceoff plays or find quick ways to regain control before the penalty killers clear the zone. Being able to retrieve the puck in the corners to maintain possession is a big part of a successful power play, too \u2014 and not just after faceoffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d like to have a little bit more in-zone and a little bit more of a shot-focused mentality,\u201d said Tuch, who also plays on the Sabres\u2019 penalty kill. \u201cI think that\u2019s probably the hardest thing when you\u2019re on the PK is when teams are constantly shooting and retrieving pucks; that can wear you down. That\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to do to the opposition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tuch is elite in that area of the game, and Thompson has improved dramatically. But ideally, it\u2019s not Thompson battling along the boards; that unit should instead have more retrievers who can win possession and then set up the Sabres\u2019 best shooters.<\/p>\n
Just take this play from Game 2, where Tuch, Jason Zucker and Josh Doan all jump for loose pucks to sustain pressure.<\/p>\n
Or this Game 3 sequence, where Ryan McLeod loses his battle, but Tuch and Dahlin are able to recover it and extend offensive zone time.<\/p>\n
But the Sabres aren\u2019t winning those battles consistently enough with the top unit as currently constructed. So maybe it\u2019s time to turn to one of their best forecheckers to punch up that top unit. It\u2019s an area where Zach Benson and Josh Doan both thrive; they battle along the boards, pressure opponents to force turnovers and use their speed to pick pucks off sticks. If there\u2019s a personnel adjustment to make, one of them could be the answer.<\/p>\n
But considering how shaky the Sabres\u2019 power play has been for so long, it\u2019s going to take more than just a personnel tweak or more emphasis on puck retrievals. This top unit needs to be less predictable.<\/p>\n
With a primary shooter, an element of predictability is inevitable. The Sabres are going to do their best to feed pucks to Thompson and let him cook. If it\u2019s not Thompson, look to Dahlin at the point. It\u2019s no different than the Bruins teeing up David Pastrnak or the Oilers leaning on Leon Draisaitl.<\/p>\n
But sometimes, teams go too far. Go back to Thompson ripping numerous one-timers in a row against the Capitals earlier this season. Sure, it made for a fun, viral moment. But too often this season, the Sabres have made that their only power-play threat. And that\u2019s even more challenging to pull off in the playoffs, when penalty killers, scouts and coaches are hyper-focused on every detail about their opponents.<\/p>\n
It helps to have a little more variety, whether it\u2019s with other shooters or playmakers who can pull defenders out of position. And it doesn\u2019t hurt to have a little more traffic in front.<\/p>\n
\u00d6stlund\u2019s presence helped with the former in Games 4 and 5 against the Bruins. His willingness to shoot from the right and ability to move the puck around the offensive zone instantly elevated the top unit. Since he\u2019s unavailable, there is even more reason to turn to Doan or Benson here, because along with their retrieval skills, both can contribute some passing and net-front play.<\/p>\n
Doan\u2019s net-front role helped the Sabres score just after a power play expired in Game 4.<\/p>\n
And Benson\u2019s playmaking has given the second unit some dangerous looks when deployed, too.<\/p>\n
Both players helped move the needle on the top unit during their various regular-season reps, too. In Doan\u2019s shared minutes with Thompson and Dahlin (as a proxy for PP1 time, since they are both staples on that top unit), the Sabres\u2019 shot quality (8.84 xG per 60) and scoring (9.30 goals per 60) both ticked up relative to that unit without him. With Benson on the top unit, Buffalo generated even more shots and scoring chances (10.2 xG per 60) and scored 8.77 goals per 60.<\/p>\n
Finding ways to be more dynamic and sustaining pressure is just one part of the battle in Buffalo. When the power play is struggling, the Sabres struggle to deal with the first sign of pressure from the penalty killers when they cross the blue line.<\/p>\n
That is what has made everything else all the more glaring; when the Sabres don\u2019t win those puck battles or generate enough layers of shots and chances, penalty killers are able to clear the zone. And the Sabres aren\u2019t always able to get back in with control and get back in formation.<\/p>\n
Go back to a first-period power play in Game 2. The first entry, a dump-in, was cleared with ease. The second entry, a carry-in from Jack Quinn, was broken up in the offensive zone; the Sabres regained possession but only stayed in the offensive zone for 11 seconds. On the third entry attempt, the Sabres passed the puck four times in the neutral zone \u2014 and on that last pass attempt from Norris, the Bruins intercepted the puck and Mark Kastelic raced in for a short-handed chance. It wasn\u2019t until the fourth entry attempt that the Sabres got into power-play formation, and that was about 1:05 into the advantage.<\/p>\n
And that wasn\u2019t a one-off instance, either.<\/p>\n
Fast-forward to the second period of Game 3. The Bruins cleared the puck nine seconds into the power play. On the first regroup, Thompson\u2019s drop pass sets up an incoming Quinn, who lost the puck to Kastelic, who generated another short-handed chance.<\/p>\n
Two more failed regroups later \u2014 a pass entry broken up, then Quinn getting stripped of control in the neutral zone \u2014 and a Thompson carry-in got Buffalo into the zone with over a minute of penalty time killed off.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s part of what made \u00d6stlund such a bright spot in Game 4; his time on that top unit started with two successful carry-ins. Since then, there has been a more concerted effort to enter the zone with control, even after he left the lineup with injury.<\/p>\n
When the Sabres finally broke through with their first power-play goal in April, it was a Thompson carry-in that got the team over the blue line.<\/p>\n
Carry-ins have been especially effective because when Boston managed to disrupt those entries, the team still found ways to regain control and stay in the offensive zone instead of having those attempts broken up in the neutral zone and turn into short-handed chances against. Plus, it leaves less room for error that the team clearly experienced in Round 1.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s what Buffalo has to keep doing against a Canadiens team that looks for those trigger points, like drop passes in the neutral zone and over-passing over the blue line, to create some short-handed looks.<\/p>\n
The Sabres\u2019 power play did have some success against Montreal this season, scoring three times in four matchups. They also didn\u2019t allow a single scoring chance against in those four games.<\/p>\n
This power-play issue isn\u2019t a new one for the Sabres. They\u2019ve been asked about it constantly and drill it daily in practice. There\u2019s a fine line between making the necessary adjustments and over-complicating things. Dahlin said as much when asked ahead of this series about what the Sabres need to do on the power play.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe simpleness,\u201d Dahlin said. \u201cThe puck tempo. It\u2019s a mix of everything, but just slowing everything down and realizing you don\u2019t have to complicate things. Just go out there and compete and make the right next move. Don\u2019t try to force anything.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BUFFALO, N.Y. \u2014 Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said with the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":778318,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[1720,293,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-778317","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-buffalo-sabres","9":"tag-nhl","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116530191025625750","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=778317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/778318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=778317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=778317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=778317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}