Buffalo Sabres Players Who Do All The Little Things

On every NHL team, there are the depth players that play a key role in each win. They are the players that tend to do all of the little things instead of scoring the big goal, or throwing the big hit. These are the players that are sound defensively, and make the smart plays in both zones to provide better opportunities for the team as a whole. On the Buffalo Sabres roster, there is a trio of players that accomplish this feat night in and night out.

Related – Ristolainen Leads Buffalo Sabres Weekly Three Stars

The three players that I want to single out and recognize for their great playing are Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson, and Sam Reinhart.

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From the moment he scored his first goal in the NHL, Buffalo Sabres fans have fallen in love with Zemgus Girgensons. He is a hard working power forward that still has enough hockey IQ to be defensively responsible. Last season, Girgensons had to carry much of the offensive load by being the top line center. This season, his role has been reduced to a rotational role, but he primarily plays on the third line.

In such a role, Girgensons only has 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) in 17 games. We all know that he is offensively capable, but this year he is playing a much more defensive style of game. Each night Sabres fans will find Girgensons making smart breakout plays and spending most of his time pressuring the player on the puck. His pressure pushes the pace of the game and tires out opponents, which leaves more room for the offensive stars line Ryan O’Reilly and Jack Eichel.

Johan Larsson has never been a highly offensive player while in the NHL, but where he excels is in his possession game. He is a defensively minded two-way forward that has the ability to make big plays in both ends. He was groomed as a scoring forward in his early years, but he has rounded himself out very well and plays a similar style role to Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier.

Larsson has 3 assists to his credit in 16 games played, and he also sits with an even 0 for his +/- rating. He has played most of his time on the third and fourth lines all season, so he hasn’t seen much high level competition, but the defensive responsibility on the lower lines is something that is important (and tends to go unnoticed). It’s about time he got some praise for his effort and success at his role.

Sam Reinhart is one of the youngest players on the Buffalo Sabres, but he still is undoubtedly one of the smartest. One piece of praise that has always been said about Reinhart is his uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. He made a name for himself as a talented forward with great offensive and defensive skill. So far in his NHL career, he is starting off strong by learning how to play an equal paced two-way game.

Sam Reinhart currently sits with 6 points (3 goals and 3 assists) and leads the Buffalo Sabres with a +2 plus-minus rating. He has been shuffled around all four lines thus far, and now currently sits on the third line with Zemgus Girgensons and Johan Larsson. It’s not only important for Reinhart to continue this style of development, but that he builds off of the defensive play and translates it to more offense.

These three players now find themselves as the Buffalo Sabres third line, and I could not be happier to see them working together. The play styles they all have compliment one another, and they all have great offensive capabilities that are waiting to be fully unleashed (which is a huge weapon for Dan Bylsma considering how well his top two lines play).

Next: Mark Pysyk Growing Into Top Sabres Defender

This is me tipping my hat to these unsung heroes of the Buffalo Sabres recent success. Hopefully they continue down this path, and the wins keep coming along.