Few Buffalo Sabres topics have generated more conversation over the past couple years than the team's struggling power play, and the beginning of the current campaign was no exception as the unit dropped to the bottom of the NHL rankings for a while.
At long last, the Sabres are showing signs of turning things around. They're up to 23rd in the league with the man advantage (17%) after scoring four times in six opportunities over the final two games of the club's West Coast road trip.
Head coach Lindy Ruff appeared on Sabres Live with Brian Duff and Marty Biron on Monday, and he discussed why the power play is starting to light the lamp more frequently:
"It's something that we've worked hard on. You meet every game on the power play and go over how the other team is trying to defend, what their stand is like. I think the No. 1 thing you identify is almost 67% of the goals scored come from a loose puck recovery and we weren't recovering enough pucks.Sabres HC Lindy Ruff on the power play
I think if you look at that game-winning goal in LA. The effort by [Jack] Quinn to supply pressure, the effort by [Noah] Ostlund to get it back on the wall and keep it in the zone. If we don't keep it in the zone, we're probably 25 seconds before we get back down there. So, there's an example of just that effort alone got us that extra opportunity and we end up scoring a big goal."
Ruff also credited assistant coach Seth Appert and Eric Staal, a former NHL star who's a special assistant to general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, for meeting with players and stressing the details, such as making sure their first shot doesn't miss the net, which subsequently helps create the potential for second- and third-chance opportunities around the crease.
Buffalo's struggles out of the gate were a combination of lackluster goaltending, inconsistent finishing offensively and completely ineffective special teams. It would have been impossible for the club to keep pace in the loaded Eastern Conference if those issues persisted.
The Sabres' netminders, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis, have been better lately and Alex Lyon should return soon to restore the three-goalie rotation. That, along with the improved power play, has helped spark the turnaround despite some continued concerns, including the PK.
Of course, there have been some promising stretches for the team's PP over the past couple years, but it never held for an extended period. That's why Buffalo finished 24th with the man advantage in 2024-25 (18.8%) and 20th in 2025-26 (19.5%).
Getting the power play to become a consistently dangerous weapon would be a massive step in Buffalo's quest to emerge as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
What the underlying numbers say about the Sabres power play
Scoring binges happen for most NHL teams with the man advantage over the course of an 84-game season. Steady success in that category is much harder to obtain.
That's why it's likely too early to start celebrating Buffalo's recent power play improvement. The analytics still don't point to a high-end unit (via Natural Stat Trick):
Category | Stat (NHL Rank) |
|---|---|
Expected goals per 60 | 7.97 (19th) |
Scoring chances per 60 | 57.14 (19th) |
High-danger chances per 60 | 24.27 (19th) |
Those numbers obviously paint a pretty uniform picture.
The Sabres have done a much better job with their zone entries lately and their movement within the offensive zone has also improved, which creates more passing lanes. Those are promising signs after the unit looked completely out of whack early in the season.
They still aren't wreaking enough havoc in front of the net, though. They don't have a player who's proven capable of parking themselves at the top of the crease to serve as a screen, while also creating goals through deflections or rebound attempts.
Jason Zucker often filled that role in recent years, as did Alex Tuch at times. Zucker missed the beginning of the campaign with an injury, and he's been a bit sluggish since his return, and Tuch departed the organization in the offseason.
While Zach Benson is always a willing combatant around the net, his 5-foot-10, 178-pound frame doesn't make him a perfect choice for the role.
So, that's the one area the Sabres will have to focus on if they're going to parlay their recent power play success into something more sustainable in the weeks and months ahead. Perhaps Zucker will get back to business in that area as he gets back up to full speed.
For now, Buffalo is just happy to get a surge of production out of the previously useless unit.
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