Buffalo Sabres: Owen Power taking remarkable strides in November
By Sion Fawkes
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power saw 28:14 of ice time in Saturday night’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and played a sound two-way game.
While it’s no secret that Buffalo Sabres rookie defenseman Owen Power struggled during the earliest stages of the season, he has taken massive strides as of late. In fact, I even said in a previous post (see aforementioned link), that Power’s struggles early should not have surprised anyone.
A rookie having played in just a handful of games that started late last season, expectations were through the roof with Power. But he played like most new to the NHL often play like: A rookie who has seen a fair share of ups and downs.
However, Power was awesome in some aspects during the first 10 games of the season. And during the Sabres 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, he played even better.
Buffalo Sabres rookie Owen Power making progress
With top defenseman Rasmus Dahlin unable to go for this one thanks to an upper body injury, Power took centerstage. He logged 28:14 of ice time, had two points on two assists, six hits, and even played through a bloody nose for a while there.
Despite tremendous output from the returning Ilya Lyubushkin plus solid defensive play from Jacob Bryson, and Kale Clague, Power took his game to another level during the second half of this back-to-back.
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With six assists in 12 games, Power is still searching for his first goal of the season. But given his overall output, which includes four assists in the previous five games, it’s safe to say Power will find the back of the net sooner than later. Overall, he had his ups and downs early, but following the first week of November, it appears he is enjoying more ups. And as he gains more experience, expect his solid rookie campaign to continue.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)