Owen Power made his illustrious debut in a Sabres jersey, and this kid is good, scary good. However, what made the number one overall pick successful in his first NHL game against the Toronto Maple Leafs?
He’s tall, handsome, and has a great head of hair
It’s no surprise to anyone how Power looks off the ice with his luscious locks, but this kid looked even better on the ice today with his play.
His first major play of the game occurred on the defensive side of a two-on-one. Power baited the pass across the ice to the NHL leader in goals Auston Matthews. He then broke up that pass with ease and transitioned the puck and himself up ice.
This was the first time in 17 games with Matthews leaving the affair without a point. That game also happened to be against the Buffalo Sabres. Mitch Marner was also held pointless, snapping the longest active streak in the NHL. Coincidence? I think not.
Power did a great job in his debut in joining the rush. For such a big body, he skates with ease. For his first game, in his hometown, against a top team in the league; Owen Power looked like a seasoned veteran.
Looking into the win
After getting the brakes beaten off of them in their last contest, the blue-and-gold needed to rebound against the Maple Leafs, and they more than delivered.
The scoring started early in the contest as Kyle Okposo continues to creep ever so closely to 20 goals with his 19th of the season just seven minutes into the game. What seems to be a patented goal by the wily veteran, he walked the top of the circle on the powerplay and unleashed a laser bar-down to give the Sabres the 1-0 lead.
The Sabres went into the first intermission holding their 1-0 lead, and they really controlled the pace of the game. Every forward forechecked hard, and put pressure on the Toronto defense; they came out to play.
Second period
The Sabres did not hold their lead long into the second frame, as Timothy Liljegren buried a pinball-like goal. Anderson did not really stand a chance as the puck took a bounce off the boards and behind the net right on the tape of the collapsing Maple Leaf’s defender.
The game did not stay knotted up for long, as Tage Thompson continued his rip-roaring season. Thompson ripped a snapshot on the rush past the blocker of Leaf’s netminder Erik Kallgren to give the Sabres a one-goal lead. This was the big man’s 33rd of the season, just three behind Jack Eichel’s all-time high.
The game headed into the second intermission, with the Sabres tallying two goals on the man advantage, and controlling most of the game.
Third period
It was a “Party in the U.S.A.” in the land up north as Jeff Skinner scored his 31st the season. His career resurgence has been one of this Sabers team’s best and biggest surprises, and a huge reason for this is his chemistry with his linemates. Alex Tuch, Skinner and Thompson seem to be the hottest line in hockey right now, with passing plays like this appearing almost every game now. It will be exciting to see this line continue to grow and develop together for these last few games, and going into next year.
Just one minute later, Rasmus Dahlin upped the lead to three. The defenseman received an incredible cross-seam pass by Victor Olofsson and scored on the empty net. This was Dahlin’s 10th goal this season, and the first time in his young career hitting that milestone. The Swede also set his highest point total ever in a season with 46 points.
Toronto did respond, but this time it was Alexander Kerfoot. The puck seemed to just dribble over the goal line, and the game appeared to shift in the Leaf’s favor.
Several bad turnovers by the Sabres were subdued by the stellar and consistent play of Craig Anderson in net. The 40-year old finished the night with 20 saves on 22 shots and was a big part of the outcome of this game.
After several big saves by Anderson, and some lockdown defense by the blue-and-gold, Rasmus Asplund ended the game with an empty-net goal.
Overall, this was a fantastic bounce-back game for this team against a much-hated rival. With only seven games left, the blue-and-gold have several players looking to round out breakout/ resurgent years. Players like Thompson, Skinner and Dahlin will all look to continue this success into these last games and into next season.
Power prowess
What’s there to say that hasn’t been said already. This kid is legit both with and without the puck. He continued his aggressive play we saw at the University of Michigan with several plays in the Toronto end.
At times, he would get caught in the offensive zone, and there would be some turbulence on the backend with a forward, but thankfully everything worked out.
Do not worry about point production out of Power. Let the kid develop and find his game at the NHL level. He is a generational talent, and it appears he is already beloved by his new teammates.
What’s next?
Buffalo will host St. Louis this Thursday, as Owen Power will have his first game in a Sabres jersey at the Key Bank Center. Ryan O’Reilly will also return to the city he used to call home, and Tage Thompson will face off against the club that drafted him. Puck drop is at 7 p.m., with plenty of tickets still available for Power’s first home game.
3 Responses
Loving the Sabres D Corps being young and all looking to be studs for years to come: 23,25,26, & 10! The 5&6 D men can be fought out between Bryson, Fitzgerald, a veteran D man & eventually Johnson if he graduates from AHL to The Sabres.
Goalie & maybe a couple vets along with Quinn & Peterka will make for a very exciting 2022-23 season hopefully next season!!
It is a really nice time to be a fan of the Buffalo Sabres right now, and it is only going to get better with each passing year! It will be interesting to see what Kevyn Adams will do this offseason to improve the roster heading into next year. Keep your eye out this week for a deep dive into this young d core, and what their future will hold!