The Buffalo Sabres have a new hit king.
Beck Malenstyn dished out six hits in Wednesday night's 4-3 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars in the final game of the regular season to finish with 282. That surpassed the franchise record previously held by Marcus Foligno, who posted 279 in 2016-17.
Buffalo's energetic fourth-line winger only recently became aware the record was within reach after being alerted by team communications coordinator Mitch Courtney.
"[Courtney] came up to me before the game in Chicago and said I was chasing a record, and I thought he was lying to me for sure. I had no idea what that was going to be," Malenstyn told reporters. "But it's a little accomplishment, a fun feather in the hat. Obviously, being physical is a big part of my game, I try to bring it every night."
That he does, and his blue-collar play style has made him popular in Western New York.
The Sabres, under previous general manager Kevyn Adams, received plenty of criticism for giving up a second-round pick to acquire the fourth-liner in 2024. There's no doubt he's acclimated himself to the organization and found a niche in the lineup, though.
Along with the record-setting hit total, Malenstyn finished the regular season with seven goals, seven assists, 75 blocked shots and 38 penalty minutes across 81 appearances.
Meanwhile, let's hop into the 82nd edition of our Sabres player grades series as Buffalo's seven-month schedule reached its conclusion Wednesday.
Buffalo Sabres wrap up regular season with April 15 loss to the Dallas Stars; Playoff return on tap
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Zach Benson | 9 |
Owen Power | 8 |
Beck Malenstyn | 7.5 |
Josh Norris | 7 |
Logan Stanley | 7 |
Josh Dunne | 6.5 |
Peyton Krebs | 6 |
Conor Timmins | 6 |
Jack Quinn | 5.5 |
Tanner Pearson | 5.5 |
Alex Tuch | 5 |
Josh Doan | 5 |
Jordan Greenway | 5 |
Tyson Kozak | 4.5 |
Zach Metsa | 4.5 |
Michael Kesselring | 4 |
Bowen Byram | 4 |
Colten Ellis | 3.5 |
Luke Schenn | 3 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Zach Benson
On a night where the Sabres rested several key players with an eye toward the playoffs, it's no surprise Benson was the most active player on the ice. He doesn't have an off switch. He operates at full intensity every shift, and that's what makes him such an impactful contributor.
The 20-year-old winger finished the loss to Dallas with a goal, an assist, three shots on goal and a blocked shot while skating 24 minutes, including time on both the power play and penalty kill.
Although he may never see that much ice time again — these were unique circumstances; the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid leads all NHL forwards at 23 minutes per game this season — it does hint toward the all-around role he may be asked to fill if Alex Tuch departs in free agency.
Benson is exactly the type of hardworking player that usually finds success in the playoffs, and the Sabres hope that'll be the case starting this weekend.
Sabres quick hits
- Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker and Mattias Samuelsson were healthy scratches against Dallas to provide a little rest before the postseason.
- Colten Ellis had a shaky outing on the heels of a 37-save shutout — they don't call him "Colten Chaos" for nothing — and Alex Lyon's playoff availability remains unsettled, so the crease is firmly in the possession of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
- Logan Stanley has likely locked down a spot in the playoff lineup but none of the contenders for his partner on the third pair were overly impressive against the Stars. It'll be interesting to see what direction head coach Lindy Ruff goes there for Game 1 against the Boston Bruins.
- Josh Dunne should be the fourth-line center over Tyson Kozak until Sam Carrick returns. Noah Ostlund should replace Jordan Greenway on the bottom line once he's cleared to play.
- The NHL hasn't officially announced the first-round postseason schedule, but all speculation is pointing toward Game 1 between the Sabres and Bruins taking place on Saturday.
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