The Buffalo Sabres have had a remarkable camp and preseason, logging yet another win with a few NHL regulars on Saturday.
Following their big win on Saturday, the Buffalo Sabres sent 21 players to Rochester and ninth overall pick Matt Savoie to the WHL. For the final two preseason games against the Carolina Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins, we will see a Sabres roster that will resemble one that will take the ice on October 13th.
Every single name that didn’t see themselves assigned to the Americans has shown they deserve to be here, with names like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Chase Priskie, and Lawrence Pilut seeking to stick around come opening night. But which players have had the most dominant camp? Here are a few familiar names.
Best Buffalo Sabres in training camp: Player #1 – Owen Power
Power had an outstanding debut last season and played well during his eight-game stint in the latter half of April. In both camp and the preseason, Power already looks as though he’s in midseason form.
Against the Penguins, he transitioned faster than arguably any other defenseman on the ice, whether skating up-ice and into the offensive zone, or back into the defensive zone. Even more impressive, he displayed fast recovery speed on defense, sometimes even threatening to look out of position before he ended up exactly where he needed to be in the defensive zone.
Player #2 – Tage Thompson
Thompson’s goal in Saturday’s win was so powerful I temporarily lost sight of the puck. Earlier in the contest, he broke his stick on another attempted shot. Tage has seen time in two preseason games this season and in both cases, he made his presence felt.
Watching these games, I try not to pay attention to any particular player, and instead, I let them catch my attention. Every time he skates onto the ice, Tage does just that and it often comes because he’s making a play.
Player #3 – Jack Quinn
Quinn saw time with a top line combination in camp and again on Saturday. This shows us how far he’s come in such a short time and that his struggles during the Calder Cup Playoffs are a distant memory.
While Quinn will see some rookie struggles, I am also predicting him to have a bigger year than some may anticipate. It seems like every time Quinn has played, he’s generating opportunities either for himself or teammates, and he has also displayed sound defensive play.
Article Source: Observations: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s strong camp continues in Sabres win by Lance Lysowski