Any modern NHL fan who hears the nickname "The Rat" will immediately think of two-time Stanley Cup champion Brad Marchand, a Boston Bruins legend who's continued to build his legacy in recent years as a member of the Florida Panthers.
Marchand sees a lot of himself when he watches Buffalo Sabres winger Zach Benson.
"Yes he does [play a similar style], for sure," Marchand told Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com. "I love his game. He's not timid at all, goes to the dirty areas, he's very competitive, skilled little player and loves to stir it up. He's showing right now he's a gamer too! Very impressive with how young he is as well."
The future Hockey Hall of Famer added: "He's going to have a long career."
Benson has been the Sabres' best player in the playoffs. He's recorded seven points (four goals and three assists) in 10 appearances while serving as a relentless forechecker, tireless backchecker and baiting opponents into several penalties with his post-whistle antics.
It comes on the heels of a steady upward trajectory for the 21-year-old Canadian across his first three NHL seasons since Buffalo selected him with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He tallied 13 goals, 30 assists and a plus-27 rating across 65 regular-season games in 2025-26.
Benson always felt like a player who'd thrive most in the postseason environment, however, and so far that hunch has been proven right by his play against the Bruins in the opening round and the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2.
The Sabres and Habs are tied at two wins apiece as they fight for a spot opposite the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. Game 5 is scheduled for Thursday night at the KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo.
Zach Benson and Josh Doan are rapidly emerging as a dynamic duo for the Buffalo Sabres
You better be ready to work if you're an NHL player on the ice against a line featuring the Sabres' Benson and Doan because they will embarrass you otherwise. Their motors never stop, and that's the reason they've been Buffalo's foundation of success in the playoffs.
That tandem, who've typically skated alongside center Josh Norris, have played over 100 minutes of 5-on-5 hockey together in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Sabres have outscored opponents 7-2 in that ice time while generating 61.5% of the expected goals and 62.8% of the high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Those numbers are impressive in any context, but especially when you consider Buffalo has been caught up in two closely contested, hard-fought battles with the Bruins and Canadiens. They aren't steamrolling opponents like the Canes and Colorado Avalanche have so far.
Sometimes it's too simplistic to say a player outworks the opponent, but it really doesn't feel like that's the case here. It's the truth. Watching Doan backcheck is a thing of absolute beauty, and the same goes for Benson (5-foot-10, 177 pounds) winning puck battles against much bigger, stronger foes.
The tough part for Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff will be deciding when, if ever, it'll be time to break them up during the postseason run.
There have been moments in the Montreal series where they're the only forwards producing any semblance of pressure. If the Habs steal Game 5 on the road, the Blue and Gold may have to shake things up when they face an elimination game Saturday night.
Of course, Buffalo will hope that hypothetical scenario never comes to fruition. It put together a far more complete performance in Game 4 after two straight blowout losses. Now it needs to stop taking so many preventable penalties as the series becomes a best-of-three situation.
The Sabres will hope some other high-profile forwards, namely Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, are able to elevate their games closer to an elite level for the remainder of the playoff run. They'll also need some more scoring depth from players like Jack Quinn and Jason Zucker.
That said, it's nice for Ruff and his staff to know they can expect a certain baseline of production from Benson and Doan to lay the groundwork for everybody else.
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