On Wednesday night against Ottawa, the Buffalo Sabres finished 1 for 8 on the power play, for a conversion rate of just 12.5%.
I cannot recall a time when the Buffalo Sabres power play was this unbelievably bad. There have been times where it hasn’t been good, but to convert just one out of eight power play opportunities against anyone is just laughable.
Of course, Tage Thompson stepped in and at least got the Sabres on the board, but this team needs to make some serious changes on the man advantage quickly, or else we are going to end up seeing the same old results game in and game out.
Why are the Buffalo Sabres so bad on special teams?
As for the issues on the power play, it’s simple: Lack of urgency, lack of puck handling, lack of attacking the net and taking advantage of rebounds, and trying to force plays that just aren’t there. Earlier in the season, Victor Olofsson could sneak into the right circle pretty much undetected. That option is long gone, as teams have caught onto Olofsson’s tendencies. But the Sabres keep trying to force it.
Overall, they’re running in circles on the power play, trying the same thing time and again, and it has just gotten predictable. When the Sabres are down a man, they are also having trouble, as the Blue and Gold has now allowed a power play goal in eight straight games, per tonight’s broadcast.
So how are teams constantly scoring power play goals on the Sabres? For one, they are taking advantage of rebounds and generating themselves second chances by crashing the net. I have also noticed opponents tend to get a man in front of goaltenders Eric Comrie or Craig Anderson to set up screens, which also lead to deflections.
And the Sabres, through 17 games, and especially the last eight, have absolutely no answer. Until they mix things up and get a little unpredictable on the power play, expect their woes to continue. Likewise, if they don’t start closing lanes when on the penalty kill, expect their games with power play goals allowed streak to continue.
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