Buffalo Sabres: 3 reasons Owen Power was awesome over first 10 games

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power has gotten a bad rap from what I call paper fans: Those who only look at statistics. 

Owen Power has gotten a bad rap early on from many in the Buffalo Sabres faithful. It’s almost as though they have forgotten that he’s, a) only 18 games into his NHL career, and b) that star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was basically riding the bust label not even two seasons ago.

Power has made his mistakes, no doubt, as anyone with an ounce of logic knew he would. Opposing teams have film on Power, and they have picked on the rookie. Oh, and you can expect it to continue.

But it doesn’t mean Power has been a bust through the first 10 games of the season. Far from it. In fact, considering the hand he was dealt, those with a more logical mindset in the Sabres faithful will have noticed a few things the paper fans either overlooked or refused to consider. Let’s check them out.

1 – Power has overcome adversity

Imagine this: You’re 19, not even 15 games into your NHL career at the moment, and three of your team’s top six defensemen go down with an injury. Not just that, another in your top six is probably an extra skater in other rotations, and you, the rookie, are suddenly the #2 defenseman, or at worst, the #3 defenseman on the team.

This is what basically happened to Power, who leads all NHL rookies with 22:29 of ice time. With Dahlin picking up most of the slack on the first line mainly with Jacob Bryson, the projected extra skater on older, more experienced teams, Power has basically had to pair with and lead AHL-caliber players. Not the easiest of tasks.

2 – Power is dealing with a veteran’s task at 19

Some of the players the Buffalo Sabres have asked Power to team with, like Kale Clague, Casey Fitzgerald, and Lawrence Pilut, all have at least two times more NHL experience than Power. Yet Power has never stopped showing poise and even found ways to produce on occasion.

When the season began, Power was supposed to have a seasoned veteran next to him; someone like Jokiharju or at least Lyubushkin. And while you can call Pilut, Clague, and Fitzgerald veterans, none of the above are ideal candidates for many NHL rosters. Yet Power, despite his mistakes which are just part of the growing process, has still found ways to produce.

His five points sits only behind Calen Addison of the Minnesota Wild regarding rookie defensemen. And of course, his on-ice awareness was on full display when he quickly relayed the puck to Victor Olofsson on Wednesday night’s win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was such a quick pass that Pens goaltender Casey DeSmith could not even begin to adjust before Olofsson put the puck into the back of the net.

3 – He’s making plays away from the puck

This was something Power struggled with in the first few games, but as we saw against the Penguins, he played a pivotal moment in suppressing the Pittsburgh attack. And not only did Power, who logged 23:51 of ice time, successfully help lead the charge in shutting down the Penguins, he had to do so against the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Not the easiest of tasks for even some of the most experienced NHL defensemen. But his plays away from the puck in neutralizing who are still some of the biggest names in the sport shows that Power is capable of making plays all over the ice. And often, those types of plays win games, even if few notice them.

Here are some interesting tidbits:

1. When Power and Penguins defenseman Kris Letang were both on the ice, the Buffalo Sabres led Pittsburgh 6-3 in shot attempts at even strength.
2. When Power was tasked to defend Malkin, the Penguins only managed a measly two shot attempts all game.
3. The Penguins logged just seven shots on goal when he took the ice with Lawrence Pilut at even strength. Meanwhile, 18 of the Sabres 26 shots on goal at even strength came with the duo on the ice.

From overcoming adversity to taking on a task suited for a veteran and making plays away from the puck to shut down opposing star players and overall production, Power has definitely been playing better than many care to think. He has made his mistakes, as all rookies do, with a few, like the puck bouncing off his skate, beyond his control.

But when you really watch Owen Power, especially in that game against Pittsburgh, you will watch someone playing better than many give him credit for. Expect more growing pains and a few bad moves. You can also expect sound production, whether with the puck or away from the puck, and even against star players.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)

Article Source: Sabres rookie Owen Power unleashes offensive gifts by focusing on defending by Lance Lysowski

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