OWEN POWER AND THE SABRES OUTSHINE THE STARS ON TUESDAY NIGHT
Owen Power was phenomenal for the Buffalo Sabres last night, assisting on three of Buffalo’s four goals, as they defeated the Dallas Stars 4-2.
Power has been criticized in the past for not living up to the expectation put on number one overall draft picks. What made him great at the University of Michigan was his two-way ability, his defensive positioning and his offensive playmaking. Last night, number 25 in blue and gold looked like he was wearing Maize and Navy once again. Not only did Power notch three points for just the third time in his career, he also blocked four shots, which was another overarching theme for the Sabres.
Buffalo came out of the gates slowly, not pressing too much, clearly focusing on the details of the game that have been lacking at times, especially in the first period of games they’ve lost this season. The Sabres took two penalties in the opening frame, both of which were killed off, largely due to their ability to get in passing and shooting lanes defensively, and when a Dallas player had a clean look at Buffalo’s goal, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was in the way, able to make a clean save and not allow a rebound. Buffalo compiled 12 blocked shots in the first period, which ended scoreless.
As Coach Lindy Ruff mentioned postgame, Buffalo was playing on their heels for a bit to begin the second period, and for good reason. Dallas came into the game last night with a 5-1 record, allowing less than 2 goals per game. The Sabres knew they would be in for a close one. After killing off another penalty, the Sabres remained in a timid, defensive posture, not conceding any great chances, but not generating any either. Then, just under halfway into the game, the Sabres earned a power play.
So far this season, those are two of the most dreaded words for Buffalo. They entered the night an astonishing 0-for-21 on the man advantage through seven games. Despite losing the faceoff to start the powerplay, the Sabres were able to re-enter the Stars’ zone multiple times with ease, and set up their system. With numerous passes around the perimeter and a few good looks cross-ice, Buffalo got four shots off, two of which were on goal. I know fans won’t want to hear it, but they were facing a top 5 goaltender in Jake Oettinger, and he was key in the game remaining scoreless to that point.
After the man advantage expired, Buffalo’s posture was much more on their toes, pressing Dallas into their own end. After a seamless zone-entry from Beck Malenstyn, Alex Tuch cycled the puck around the net, back to the point where Bowen Byram sent it across to Owen Power, who wasted no time throwing the puck toward the crowded goal. Malenstyn deflected the shot with his stick, sending it over the top of Oettinger, off the crossbar, and before it fell to the ice, Peyton Krebs batted the rubber disk out of mid-air into the net, giving Buffalo a 1-0 lead.
Less than two minutes later, a battle along the boards in the Sabres zone sent the puck back to Owen Power. The 21-year-old defensemen quickly sent a brilliant breakout pass through the neutral zone, hitting Jason Zucker in stride, creating a 2-on-1 for Buffalo. With the speedy Ryan McLeod bursting toward the net, Zucker slid it across the crease where McLeod buried it. And just like that, it was 2-0 Buffalo in a flash.
The Sabres remained poised, not taking another penalty the rest of the night, but by no means did they sit back and let the play come to them. Just over four minutes into the third period, Alex Tuch sent a pass from below Buffalo’s goal line to the Dallas blue line, finding Tage Thompson for the breakout. The Sabres’ alternate captain had the Stars’ best defensemen on a string as Thompson danced around Miro Heiskanen, and drew him back in with a drop pass to Power, who joined the rush. Power slid it across to the left faceoff dot where Thompson had set up for the one-timer. Pow. 3-0 Buffalo.
Things got dicey near the end of the game as Dallas scored twice with their net empty, working with the extra attacker, but credit where it’s due. Buffalo didn’t fold. They held their own, blocked a few more shots, ending the day with 27 total, and tacked on an empty netter from Tuch to seal it.
The Sabres are starting to finally see the process that Coach Ruff has installed pay off. That’s back-to-back wins for the first time this season, bringing Buffalo’s record to 3-4-1. They’ll remain at home and host the Detroit Red Wings, a team they are directly competing for a playoff spot with. Puck Drop Saturday afternoon is set for 1PM.
LEBRON’S LEGACY IS FURTHER CEMENTED AS BRONNY MAKES LAKERS DEBUT
LeBron James’ legacy has already been cemented. Having won four championships with three separate teams, and by breaking the all-time scoring record, LeBron was already considered the greatest of all time by some. Last night, another piece of history was made, as LeBron James checked into the Lakers game at the same time as his son, Bronny James.
They are the first father-son duo to play a regular season game on the same team together in NBA history. It would be one thing for LeBron to have his son play professional basketball. It would be another for his son to wear the same team’s uniform that he used to wear. The fact that LeBron is still playing, and at a high level, long enough to share the court with Bronny is extraordinary. Last night in the Lakers’ 110-103 win over Minnesota, LeBron posted 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Bronny played just three minutes and missed the two shots he took.
There is plenty of discourse on whether or not Bronny is good enough to be an NBA player at the current moment, but the history made last night is not to be overshadowed by a box score.
