The Buffalo Sabres took a 1-0 lead in the series against the Boston Bruins on Sunday night after an exciting comeback win. However, when looking ahead to Game 2 head coach Lindy Ruff has a tough decision in trying to figure out how to get Noah Ostlund back into the lineup.
Ostlund has been out since March 25th due to an injury, but appears ready to return to the ice. Prior to Game 1, he was asked how close he might be to game action and said he felt good, so it seems like it is roster management more than injury management at this point for Ostlund and the Sabres.
The challenge is that he likely won't return to his spot before the injury on the line with Josh Norris and Josh Doan. A line with these two and Zach Benson has been great as of late, and something Ruff probably doesn't want to disrupt.
The line that would be disrupted the most with Ostlund's return is the fourth line of Jordan Greenway, Josh Dunne, and Beck Malenstyn. However, similar to the Norris line, this group played really well in Game 1 against the Bruins, and when these three were on the ice, the Sabres had five scoring chances while the Bruins had none, according to Natural Stat Trick.
It is a risk they have to take and Ostlund should replace Dunne in Game 2 because Ostlund's impact could extend past 5v5 situations and help a big weakness right now for Buffalo.
Buffalo Sabres need Noah Ostlund on the ice for Game 2 to help their power play
Even with the strong performance, the Sabres have to get Noah Ostlund back on the ice, as he will be a boost for this team in an area where they need it the most. The Sabres' power play has been abysmal as of late and has now gone 26 straight power play opportunities without a power play goal, including going 0 for 4 in Game 1.
Ostlund is a player who might not completely transform the power play unit, but could certainly help. In his last eight games, where he had at least one minute of power play ice time, the Sabres converted eight of 33 power play opportunities. Ostlund, in particular, was on the ice for three of those goals and had an assist on two of those, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The Boston Bruins are one of the more penalized teams in the NHL, and the Sabres are almost certainly going to get power play chances in this game. The addition of Noah Ostlund to the power play could help Buffalo convert some of those chances into goals, even if it risks disrupting their fourth line.
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