Josh Doan was once again the best skater on the ice for the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night, so it was nice to see him finally land on the scoresheet as part of the team's much-needed offensive explosion in an 8-4 victory over the Atlantic Division rival Ottawa Senators.
Doan, a rare bright spot during the Sabres' 0-3-0 start to the season, continued his run of strong two-way play with three assists in the club's first win of the campaign. It's raised hopes Buffalo's return in the JJ Peterka trade will be fruitful, especially once Michael Kesselring returns from injury.
Ryan McLeod, Jack Quinn and Jason Zucker each scored two goals for the Blue and Gold in their triumph over the Sens. Jiri Kulich and Alex Tuch also lit the lamp, while Alex Lyon delivered another strong showing between the pipes with 32 saves.
That leads us into our newest edition of the Sabres player grades series, which sees Doan at the top of the list as he emerges as a high-impact player for Buffalo.
Buffalo Sabres player grades from the team's Oct. 15 win over the Ottawa Senators
Sabres grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Josh Doan | 9.5 |
Ryan McLeod | 9 |
Jason Zucker | 8.5 |
Alex Tuch | 8.5 |
Jack Quinn | 8 |
Zach Benson | 7.5 |
Ryan Johnson | 7 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 6.5 |
Peyton Krebs | 6.5 |
Jacob Bryson | 6 |
Tage Thompson | 6 |
Owen Power | 5.5 |
Tyson Kozak | 5.5 |
Alex Lyon | 4.5 |
Conor Timmins | 4.5 |
Bowen Byram | 4 |
Jiri Kulich | 3 |
Justin Danforth | 2 |
Beck Malenstyn | 1 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Josh Doan
Doan has made a consistently strong impact for the Sabres, even during the team's three-game losing streak. He's a high-effort player who makes his presence felt in all three zones, whether it be forechecking, winning puck battles defensively or delivering crisp transition passes.
The underlying numbers back up the eye test. His 66.5 expected goals for percentage (xGF%) at 5-on-5 is by the far the highest among Buffalo players who've played in all four games, per Natural Stat Trick. Tuch is next on the list at 59.5%.
Doan produced some strong stretches during his time with the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth franchise, but it was just a matter of whether he could improve his game-to-game impact. So far, it looks like he's taking that next step as a member of the Sabres.
The 23-year-old winger, who's the son of two-time NHL All-Star Shane Doan, also gives head coach Lindy Ruff some added flexibility up front. Need him on the first line? No problem. Gotta drop him down to a checking line? Still effective.
It's the whole package that makes him an intriguing player to watch as the 2025-26 season rolls on.
Sabres quick hits
- McLeod delivered a tremendous bounce-back performance after a sluggish start to the campaign.
- Likewise, it was a great sign for the Sabres that Quinn found the net twice after being virtually invisible in the early going.
- Zach Benson's return predictably provided a sizable boost to Buffalo's all-around game. He's going to have a great season if he stays healthy.
- Ryan Johnson continues to play well in a low-minute role and probably deserves some more shifts moving forward.
- Alex Lyon's grade dipped a bit from his first three standout performances, but he's still playing well enough to wonder whether Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be given the net back on a full-time basis when he returns from injury. It could become a timeshare.
- Kulich scored an empty-net goal but his overall performance was probably still below what Ruff hoped for after sending a message by demoting him during Tuesday's practice.
- Beck Malenstyn continues to make no meaningful impact and could lose his lineup spot once Jordan Greenway is cleared to return.
- The Sabres are back in action Saturday afternoon (1 p.m. ET) when they welcome the injury-riddled, two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers to the KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo.