It was a small sample size but Buffalo Sabres fans got their first look at Owen Power. Here is a deeper dive into his season and talk about the future.
The Buffalo Sabres have some promising defensemen to build off going into this offseason. Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju are two of the cornerstones on the blue line that the Sabres will hope to be building blocks going forward. Then go ahead and add Owen Power.
Sabres fans got a small sample size of what Buffalo’s 1st overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft can bring to the team going forward. As just mentioned, it was a very small sample size but Power showed some promise in the games he played. In this article, we’re going to take a deeper dive into his very short first NHL season.
A closer look at Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power’s season
According to Hockey-Reference, Power had 2 goals and 1 assist in 8 games played with the Sabres last season. In those 8 games, Power showed some promise. In his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Power jumped up into the play and was able to get back and break up a 2 on 1 just seconds after joining the offensive rush.
That’s one thing that stood out to Sabres fans. Power joining the rush to help out the offense and then getting back into his defensive positioning is one of his strengths and it will be fun to see him doing it more each season.
Really like what I see from Owen Power's offensive instincts and approach. He's already extending attacking zone possessions with his activity pic.twitter.com/CyGjsH0Zy1
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) April 15, 2022
In his first game at home, Power registered his first NHL point as he found Alex Tuch with a great pass resulting in a goal.
We talk about how he joins the rush, which is ironic because that’s how he scored his first NHL goal. In a game against the New Jersey Devils, Jeff Skinner got taken down but had Owen Power trailing behind him. Again, him jumping up into the play with his size is really exciting.
Owen Power has his 1st NHL goal #Sabres pic.twitter.com/JloVATg3Kw
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) April 22, 2022
Lastly, he is a great skater for a player his size. Usually tall players like Power don’t have a lot of speed but he does and that’s what makes him such a good defenseman.
If what we saw in his 8 games last year is the player Sabres fans hoped for when he was selected, then it’s going to be a great future for Power, the team and the fanbase. Right now, the arrow is pointing north.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)