It is no secret that the Buffalo Sabres' power play has been bad, but there was hope that they might have finally fixed this offseason with some changes, including the addition of Eric Staal as a coaching consultant. However, after two games this season, that hope has disappeared, as the Sabres are 0-for-8 on the power play
Some will note that two games are a small sample size to make any kind of determination, but this is an issue that has persisted not just two games but two seasons. Last season, the Sabres were 20th in the league in power-play percentage at 19.5% and 24th the season prior to that at 18.8%.
However, one stat that shows how bad it has been for the Sabres is their inability to convert 5-on-3 opportunities. Last season, they were one of only four teams that failed to convert a 5-on-3 power play, but they were the only team that had double-digit minutes with the two-man advantage, and the other three teams (St. Louis Blues, New Jersey Devils, and Florida Panthers) combined didn't have as much time as the Sabres.
Going back a season further, the Sabres had 18 5-on-3 power play chances and converted only two of them. That is the second-fewest goals, but once again they have had more chances than almost every team and were well ahead of them in minutes at 17:43.
Buffalo Sabres already making changes to their power play unit
The lackluster start to the season has already spurred Lindy Ruff and the coaching staff to make some changes to their power play units. In practice on Monday, the team had Noah Ostlund on the top unit, with Josh Doan back on the second unit.
After practice, Ruff was asked the decision behind moving Ostlund onto the top line:
"When you put two lefties, the hands line up a little bit better because if we can operate off the left-hand side, and you've got two guys on their forehand. Then you are passing two guys that are righties with Quinn and Thompson, so the hands line up and the one-timers line up a little bit better."
It is good they are trying something and not going to continue to roll out the same power play. However, after two seasons of subpar performance, switching a few players likely won't be the answer to the long-term solution the Sabres need for their power play.
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