Buffalo Sabres: Jack Quinn’s defensive play is better than you think
By Sion Fawkes
Buffalo Sabres rookie Jack Quinn hasn’t lit up the scoreboard with just 20 points in 42 games. But he’s been helping out elsewhere.
Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka are well behind Owen Power in terms of a hypothetical Buffalo Sabres rookie of the year honor. But that doesn’t mean the duo have been ineffective. Especially Quinn.
When he opened up the scoring last night, Quinn snagged his eighth goal of the season in 42 games. Not the most ideal number at this point, but I can think of a few former first round picks he’s played better than in recent years, and we don’t need to drop any names. You know who they are.
But Quinn has also played well defensively. Better than you may think, considering how spotty the Sabres can be in the defensive zone.
Lance Lysowski of Buffalo News recognized two aspects where Quinn is playing exceptionally well, and the first is his positioning in the defensive zone. Thanks to this positioning, Quinn and the Kid Line have been effective in either creating turnovers or quickly retaking puck possession. Quinn also has 16 takeaways in 5-on5 settings.
Jack Quinn’s defensive play will continue to help the Buffalo Sabres
Expect Quinn’s offense to keep developing, and it was something we saw on Saturday when he skated up the slot to snag his eighth goal of the season in last night’s loss to the Minnesota Wild. His defensive play, however, won’t just continue to build, but it’s something that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
For most of the season, the Sabres struggled defensively, though they really picked things up last night. The Blue and Gold constantly intercepted rebounds and cleared the puck before anyone on the Wild could generate a second chance.
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With a young team, you can expect them to lapse every now and again, as all young teams do. But you can also remember players like Quinn can pick up the slack when needed. A year or two from today, expect him to develop into a strong two-way player.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
Article Source: Observations: Sabres earn another point, end ‘big road trip’ with shootout loss by Lance Lysowski
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