Buffalo Sabres: Owen Power has played better than you think in 2023
By Sion Fawkes
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power has often gotten a bad rap about his performance so far in 2023-24, but the numbers state otherwise.
Owen Power has had his bad moments this season, and there is no doubt about it, but his performance has been far from terrible. Sure, there have been giveaways and turnovers, plus the occasional, “What was he thinking?” times when the opposition scored near him. But to claim he’s taking a step back is premature when you break down his numbers.
For one, Power’s GF% at 5-on-5 sits at 55.33, the fourth-best on the team, and second to Ryan Johnson (100 percent), among defensemen. Power is also third on the team and first overall among defensemen in FF%, with 51.68, and first on the team in CF%, at 51.65 percent.
As for his xGF of 53.03, Power is third, behind only Ryan Johnson (57.84), and Zach Benson (56.71), and his 3.82 GF/60 is fifth overall and first among the blueliners. He does have the third-highest GA/60 among defensemen, which sits at 3.08, however, that number is also tenth overall on the team, or roughly in the middle of the puck.
Numbers tell a much different tale about Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power
I can go on and on about how much value Power brings to the table, like his 30.5 SF/60, which is fourth behind only Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson, and Dylan Cozens. Or his 43.84 FF/60, which once again, leads the defensemen and is fourth on the team. And you can say the same thing for his 59.6 CF/60.
Power is also nowhere near the top in CA/60, which is a measly 55.8 and 16th overall on the team. As for defensemen, it happens to be seventh overall. Or his xGF/60 of 2.77, which is also fifth on the team and second among blueliners. As for xGA/60? 2.45, or 15th on the team and behind three other defensemen.
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For whatever reason, Power has been taking a horrible rap lately, but when you look at just a few advanced statistics, it’s clear one of the Buffalo Sabres most durable blueliners hasn’t been given exactly fair treatment. It makes no sense to tell others what to believe, but when you look at the big picture, it’s clear Power has been far more serviceable to the Sabres than he’s being given credit for.
(Advanced statistics provided by Evolving-Hockey [subscription])