It is no secret that the Buffalo Sabres' power play is struggling, and it is easily their biggest weakness as of late. However, the coaching staff is continuing to try to find the answer to how to fix it, and the latest change is moving Noah Ostlund up to the top power play unit.
During practice on Saturday, the Sabres had Ostlund with Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Jason Zucker. Meanwhile, they moved Jack Quinn to the second unit with Bowen Byram, Ryan McLeod, Zach Benson, and Josh Doan, according to Matthew Fairburn.
Noah Ostlund returned to the ice in Game 3 after missing almost a month due to an injury. He immediately made an impact with an assist on Bo Byram's goal in the second and then an empty-net goal to secure the win.
Lindy Ruff has to hope that Noah Ostlund's instincts can help jumpstart the Sabres power play
On Saturday, head coach Lindy Ruff was asked about Noah Ostlund's hockey smarts and how he sees the game. The Sabres' head coach was very complimentary of how Ostlund sees the game, and it is easy to connect the dots to why he would want him on the top power play unit.
"He sees the game really well. I think he understands where people should be on different plays, and his ability, a lot of times, to make plays under pressure and find the next play are good," Ruff said.
In this series, the Sabres are 0-14, but they have been showing small signals that they are getting better. In Game 1, the Sabres had four power play opportunities but only had five scoring chances and two high-danger scoring chances. However, in the past two games, they have had 10 power play opportunities with 20 scoring changes and eight high-danger scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.
It feels like it is only a matter of time, and while the power play drought continues, there are signs of life. Maybe the final piece is moving a player like Noah Ostlund, with his high hockey IQ, onto a unit with players like Thompson and Dahlin to finally end this drought.
Add us as a preferred source on Google