Victor Olofsson is no longer a secret in the National Hockey League.
When the 26-year-old winger joined the Buffalo Sabres for his debut on March 28, 2019, opponents weren’t prepared for his left-handed shot on the power play. It wasn’t until the following season that penalty-killers made a concerted effort to prevent Olofsson from getting the puck in the right circle.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” said Cozens. “I want to be the best version of myself and best player I can be.”
Opponents’ strategy hasn’t been successful. Olofsson’s 20 power-play goals since his first game with the Sabres are tied for the ninth in the league during that span. He has more than Patrice Bergeron, Bo Horvat, Kyle Connor and Mike Hoffman, among others.
Yet, for all Olofsson has accomplished on the man advantage, he hasn’t made enough of an impact at 5-on-5. If the Sabres’ intrasquad scrimmage Sunday night in KeyBank Center was any indication, Olofsson will be around the net more often during his third full season.
“I’ve just got to keep finding the space out there at 5-on-5,” Olofsson said after he and the Blue team beat Gold 5-1. “I feel like I’ve got to get more shots off. Get more dirty goals, more goals around the net. Tips and rebounds. Those are the goals that I’m missing right now. I know I can score from the outside when I get a good chance. I’ve just got to get a little bit dirtier and maybe grind a little bit more at 5-on-5 in those areas.”
Players, coaches and media around the NHL are again getting used to in-person interactions, after the 2020 playoffs and the entire 2021 season were spent solely on video calls.
Of Olofsson’ 35 career goals, only 15 have occurred at even strength. Last season, Olofsson totaled 13 goals and 32 points in 56 games. While the Sabres’ young players thrived in the final weeks under Don Granato, Olofsson scored only once in the final 13 games. His first-line role is unlikely to change, as Olofsson has skated alongside Dylan Cozens and Jeff Skinner during the first week of training camp.
If the Sabres are to surpass expectations, they will need Olofsson to develop into more of a threat at even strength. He ranked fourth on the club in shot attempts per 60 minutes, but his on-ice shot quality at 5-on-5 ranked 12th among Sabres forwards, according to Evolving-Hockey.com.
The scrimmage included some encouraging signs for Olofsson. He found space in the offensive zone on two occasions in the first period, earning shots on goal after receiving passes from Skinner, and scored in the 3-on-3 overtime period on a shot from a few feet outside the crease.
“He looks different physically,” Granato said. “I think he trained differently with the mindset that he wants to challenge himself in that area and we’ve identified that, too. We need more out of him at 5-on-5. He’s more capable than he’s produced. We believe in that, so we’ll push him.”
This season is about Dahlin moving forward to become one of the leaders in the Buffalo dressing room.
Back at it: Brett Murray aced his first big test of training camp by having a strong performance for Blue, using his size and strength to make plays in the offensive zone. Murray, a 23-year-old winger, forechecked to help his team regain possession and created one of the better chances of the first period. He carried the puck down low, skated around a diving Josh Teves and found Cody Eakin open in the slot.
Murray, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2016, was the Sabres’ best player at the Prospects Challenge and is competing for a role in the NHL club’s bottom six.
Nifty moves: Teves was in position to cut down a zone entry until Skinner carried the puck along the boards and spun around Teves, forcing the AHL defenseman out of position and creating space for Olofsson in the slot. Skinner had a handful of similar plays in the first period, though he didn’t have any notable scoring opportunities.
Hitting iron: Gold’s only significant offensive play in the first period occurred when Tage Thompson hit the crossbar on a shot from the high slot. Thompson skated on the team’s top line with Anders Bjork and Casey Mittelstadt.
The Sabres opened training camp on Thursday and they will be off Saturday, an unusual choice for just the third day of camp.
Down the middle: Arttu Ruotsalainen might not be a long-term solution at center, but he looked comfortable back at his natural position Sunday night. Ruotsalainen, who only played the wing during his 17 NHL games last season, won a defensive-zone faceoff early in the scrimmage and showed patience with the puck at the other end. He has the creativity and skill to help coax more offense out of the third line.
Effort: Center Ryan MacInnis broke the scoreless tie for Blue when he beat a defender to a loose puck and went high glove on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for a 1-0 lead in the second period. MacInnis, son of Hall of Fame defenseman Al MacInnis, joined the Sabres this offseason on a one-year, $750,000 contract. He’s competing for a spot in the bottom six.
Adding on: Linus Weissbach scored an empty-net goal for Blue with 20.5 seconds remaining. It came shortly after Blue goalie Aaron Dell stopped Casey Mittelstadt’s penalty shot.
Starters: Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski started in goal for Gold and Blue, respectively. Luukkonen and Dell played the second period. Granato said if the season started Monday, Anderson and Dell would be the Sabres’ top goalies.
Behind the benches: Gold and Blue were led by assistant coaches Matt Ellis and Jason Christie, respectively. Granato watched the scrimmage from the top row of section 105.
Format: The two teams played a pair of 20-minute periods, followed by five minutes of 3-on-3 and a shootout.
Update: Kyle Okposo participated in the scrimmage after missing practice Friday with a non-Covid-19-related illness. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson and winger Brandon Biro remain out because of injury.
Next: The Sabres will practice Monday and their first preseason game is Tuesday night in Columbus. It will not be broadcast on television, but you can listen on WGR Radio.
