The Buffalo Sabres may be starting to turn some skeptics with their play of late. Though John Tavares’ 499th career goal dealt them an overtime loss the last time out, the Sabres have developed a nice bit of momentum heading into Tuesday’s tilt with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Sabres held a lead late in the third period, but couldn’t finish it out, eventually losing to the Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime. Let’s get into the various takeaway from this one, though it is worth noting that the Sabres earned a point in their sixth game out of seven.
Let’s Talk About Owen Power
Now that we’ve had a little bit of positive talk, it’s time to focus on one of the biggest elephants in the room: Owen Power. The 2021 first overall pick has been flashing more and more of his offensive potential, but it seems like his defensive game is struggling.
His net-front defense is absolutely abysmal. On the game-tying goal by Miles Wood, Power got caught watching the puck, leaving Wood untouched to re-direct a shot from the point. He is routinely either lost in front of the net or getting overpowered by smaller forwards. A lasting image of Power this season is getting absolutely crushed by Josh Manson in the game against the Colorado Avalanche.
Despite his size, no one expected him to be a Chris Pronger type. That said, he should not be getting routinely overpowered, especially not near his own net. Will he be able to correct these issues? If he can’t, can he develop his offensive game enough to offset these issues? It might be the biggest question facing the Sabres right now.
They Need to Learn to Finish Games
When Josh Dunne scored in the third period to give the Sabres the 3-2 lead, it just felt different than what we’ve become used to with the Sabres. The energy and excitement that Dunne displayed has been lacking in many of the past 14 seasons. It’s nice to see some fun being had at Key Bank Center.
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Having said all that, the Sabres still don’t know how to finish games. They had a lead in the third period against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the prior game before ultimately losing in overtime. Again, they had a lead late in the third period but wound up losing in overtime.
They look like a different team over the last seven games compared to the first three, so it’s hard to complain, especially given how miserable things have been in recent years. That said, this team needs to hunker down and close these games out because getting one point instead of two is going to be costly before long.
Zach Benson and Josh Doan are the Heartbeat of This Team
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the duo of Josh Doan and Zach Benson. These two bring such energy, intensity, and a sense of urgency to the lineup that their contributions cannot be properly quantified. They feel like the very soul of this team.
This is already looking like a trade that benefited both sides and Michael Kesselring just made his season debut on Tuesday night. Doan scored in this one, bringing him to seven points in 10 games. He drives the play with the Sabres sporting a 61% on-ice expected goal share when he’s on the ice.
Both players are exceptional, offering a relentless forecheck and the ability to make plays after retrieving the puck. Both are still so young that they appear to be on a significantly uphill trajectory both now and well into the future.
Points in Six of Seven
At first glance, the Sabres are 12th in the Eastern Conference standings. But a closer look shows that they have points in six of their last seven games, and that they are just two points out of fifth in the conference.
The takeaway here should be that the Sabres are finally developing momentum. They need to ensure that they don’t squander that momentum and go on a prolonged losing streak like they have so many times before. They need to start by winning on the road, where they are 0-2-1 so far.
