The Buffalo Sabres recently went 39 consecutive power plays without scoring a goal, a drought that stretched from late in the regular season until a Game 5 loss to the Boston Bruins in the opening round of the 2026 NHL Playoffs.
Buffalo finished the first round with a 1-for-24 mark on the power play against Boston, which gives them the worst conversion rate (4.2%) of any team in the postseason.
These aren't new problems. The Sabres' performance with the man advantage has remained a constant source of concern since assistant coach Seth Appert took over the special-teams unit before last season, and there's still no sign of consistent improvement.
Alex Tuch has a unique view of the situation since he plays on both the struggling power play and the far-more-effective penalty kill. He provided his take on what needs to change on the PP.
"We'd like to have a little bit more in-zone and a little bit more of a shot-focused mentality," Tuch told Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. "I think that’s probably the hardest thing when you're on the PK is when teams are constantly shooting and retrieving pucks, that can wear you down. That's what we're trying to do to the opposition."
It'll be a crucial task as the Sabres prepare to open their second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. The Habs ranked 10th in the NHL on the power play during the regular season and converted five times during their series triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Buffalo appears to possess a modest 5-on-5 advantage over Montreal, but it can't afford to lose the special-teams battle by a significant margin if it wants to reach the Eastern Conference Final.
Along with Tuch's desire to generate more shots, the Sabres need to exponentially increase the amount of movement within the offensive zone. There are too many instances where players are just standing around like statues waiting for Tage Thompson or Rasmus Dahlin to fire off a shot.
More movement creates defensive assignment confusion, which helps lead to more open looks, something Buffalo has failed to generate on the power play in recent weeks.
Alex Tuch remembers Buffalo Sabres' most recent deep runs in the NHL Playoffs, but he's focused on the present
Tuch, a Syracuse native, grew up rooting for the Sabres.
He was 3 years old when Dominik Hasek carried the franchise to the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, but his best memories as a fan came from the group led by Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Ryan Miller, which reached the conference finals in 2006 and 2007.
"I do remember the excitement and being close a few times," Tuch told Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com. "Watching amazing players and good playoff runs."
The 29-year-old winger didn't want to spend too much time taking a walk down memory lane, however, especially with Buffalo just four wins from returning to the East Final.
"We are just focused on us now and being the best team we can be and having the deepest run possible," Tuch said. "I think it is really exciting for the fans. I'm really proud to be a part of the group that has given them hope and so much excitement."
Like those teams in the early 2000s, the Sabres' success came out of nowhere.
Buffalo was riding a three-year playoff drought when the 2004-05 NHL season was cancelled because of a lockout. It left limited enthusiasm in Western New York when hockey resumed the following year.
As it turned out, the league's increased enforcement of obstruction infractions coming out of the lockout created the perfect environment for a young, fast roster to thrive.
Players like Derek Roy, J.P. Dumont, Ales Kotalik, Tim Connolly, Jason Pominville and Maxim Afinogenov took advantage of the extra space to make key offensive contributions. Brian Campbell was ahead of his time as a highly mobile two-way defenseman.
That group made Buffalo fall in love with hockey all over again, but they weren't able to get over the hump and back into the Stanley Cup Final.
Now the current iteration of the Sabres, which started the campaign 11-14-4 and appeared destined to increase the playoff drought to 15 years, has emerged as an unexpected championship contender.
Buffalo will have its hands full with an offensively gifted Canadiens squad that's received terrific goaltending from Jakub Dobes, though. It has all the makings of a long, hard-fought series.
Tuch, and the power play, will need to make a serious impact if the Sabres are going to advance.
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