TORONTO – Owen Power had just lived out a boyhood dream on the ice at Scotiabank Arena and experienced the elation of skating off with a win in front of family and friends in his National Hockey League debut Tuesday night.
Yet when approached by coach Don Granato following the Buffalo Sabres’ 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Power gave a harsh self-evaluation. An impressive performance in 19:50 of ice time wasn’t enough for the 19-year-old defenseman.
Kyle Okposo, Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner and Rasmus Dahlin scored for the Sabres (27-37-11), who snapped a three-game skid and defeated Toronto three straight times for the first time since April 1, 2015 to March 7, 2016. Craig Anderson made 22 saves in goal, and Rasmus Asplund added an empty-net goal with 2:18 left in regulation.
“There were things he wasn’t happy with, and I just got a smile on my side,” said Granato.
Under trying circumstances, Power showed why he was selected first overall by Buffalo in the 2021 NHL Draft. He had poise with the puck, precise positioning in the defensive zone and situational awareness. All the traits that wowed the Sabres in the months leading up to the draft last year, and during his two seasons at the University of Michigan, shined against one of the top teams in the league.
There was no veteran to guide Power through the game, either. The six defensemen in the Sabres’ lineup were all under the age of 26, including Power’s partner, 22-year-old Henri Jokiharju. Casey Fitzgerald, 25, was the eldest of the blue liners, but he’s appeared in only 30 NHL games.
Granato and Kevyn Adams, the club’s general manager, were eager for this moment to arrive. The additions of Power and Mattias Samuelsson, combined with the breakout season of Rasmus Dahlin, provide Buffalo with the foundation for a defense corps that could become one of the best in the NHL.
Every playoff team needs a formidable group of defensemen. The Sabres will face another Thursday night when they host the St. Louis Blues in KeyBank Center for Power’s first game in Buffalo.
Mike Harrington: This didn't feel like an NHL debut. It felt like Owen Power has been here all along
"The Sabres said Sunday and Monday that it felt like Owen Power had been here all along. Then he took the ice and played a game. And he looked that way when it mattered too," writes Mike Harrington.
“It’s got to be the youngest D core to ever step on the ice tonight,” Sabres winger Alex Tuch beamed.
The Sabres have a pair of 30-goal scorers in Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner, plus Kyle Okposo’s 19 goals are his highest output since 2015-16. But the defense is the engine that drives the club’s attack offensively.
Those remarkable displays of skill by Thompson and Skinner, who have combed for 64 goals, aren’t possible without defensemen breaking pressure to get the Sabres out of their own zone. They’ve also been tasked with creating opportunity by carrying the puck into the offensive zone or by jumping into the play to become an additional threat to score.
The transformation of the Sabres’ defense began with the July trade of longtime blue-line fixture Rasmus Ristolainen, who was dealt to Philadelphia for Robert Hagg, a 2021 first-round draft choice and a 2023 second-round pick. Adams added Will Butcher and Mark Pysyk as a bridge plan until Samuelsson and Power were ready.
Buffalo Sabres 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick Owen Power visits with his family and friends that came to Scotiabank Arena to watch him make his NHL debut in the Sabres' 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.
Those veterans stabilized the group with sound play, specifically during the first half of the season, and provided leadership behind the scenes. But the Sabres wanted to go young when the time was right.
The wait ended Tuesday with Power’s debut. Rather than using a veteran on the road with Buffalo amid a three-game skid, Granato deployed the youth movement of Power (19), Jokiharju (22), Dahlin (22), Samuelsson (22), Fitzgerald (25) and Jacob Bryson (24).
“We don’t put these guys out there saying we don’t fear the mistake,” said Granato. “We know our guys are going to learn from it. We want to get them against top players in key situations knowing these are guys that are going to be here for a while, and these are core guys for us.”
Fitzgerald and Bryson had some difficult moments Tuesday. They were on the ice for the Maple Leafs’ first goal, and Bryson took an early holding penalty that led to a barrage of shots by Toronto. But they’ve excelled at various points this season.
Fitzgerald has helped on the penalty kill and brings a physical edge that Buffalo needed. He’s had far more positive moments than mistakes. His right-handed shot and on-ice chemistry with Samuelsson bode well for his future with the organization.
Bryson, a left-shot defenseman listed at 5-foot-9, has played well on his off-hand side next to Samuelsson. He’s learning how to kill plays in the defensive zone despite his lack of size. Consistency is a missing piece early in his career, but his skating compensates for some deficiencies in his game.
2021 No. 1 overall draft pick Owen Power made his debut for the Buffalo Sabres in a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Scotiabank Are…
Dahlin been remarkable for the Sabres since December, showcasing improved defense and an unflappable confidence to make plays with the puck. Drafted first overall in 2018, Dahlin has totaled career highs in goals (10), points (46) and average time on ice per game (24 minutes) this season. He’s having success defending the opponent’s top players every night and was selected to the NHL All-Star Game.
And Power’s arrival spurred a notable change on the defense pairs. Dahlin, who has a left-handed shot, played the right side Tuesday next to Samuelsson and, at times, Power. Dahlin scored the Sabres’ fourth goal of the game on a one-timer in the third period and assisted on Kyle Okposo’s opening goal.
The Sabres had 68% of the shot attempts at 5-on-5 when Dahlin was on the ice. He played the right side before coming to Buffalo in 2018-19 and saw some time there early this season, but he’s now better prepared to handle the assignment. His versatility could create some intriguing lineup options for the Sabres.
“There’s more upside to the offense on the right side, I feel like,” Dahlin said following practice Monday. “So, we’ll see. I will take my time, too. No rush.”
Publicly available analytics don’t paint a favorable picture for Jokiharju amid his third full NHL season, but he’s passed the eye test most nights and has improved significantly in the defensive zone.
He’s blocking shots, killing plays along the boards with body checks and taking proper position in front of the net. His average time on ice (21:56) is a career-high and he had one of his finest games of the season against the Maple Leafs.
The next step in Jokiharju’s development will be consistently limiting top players on the other team. He will benefit from gaining additional experience and strength. But his tendency to play a more conservative game fits nicely with Power, who likes to get involved offensively.
"We have a good D corps, young, especially for the future," said Jokiharju, a first-round draft pick of Chicago in 2017. "I think it’s great everyone can play with each other.”
The Sabres haven’t sheltered Samuelsson, a physical 6-4 defenseman drafted 32nd overall in 2018. Since he rejoined the club on Jan. 17, Samuelsson leads Buffalo in hits (85), blocked shots (53) and shorthanded ice time across 36 games. He ranks third in total average time on ice during that span and, in addition to his play defensively, starts the offensive attack with smart breakout passes.
When Power signed his entry-level contract Saturday, Granato had no plans to protect the rookie from difficult assignments. Granato did the opposite in Toronto. Power was on the ice against Hart Trophy favorite Auston Matthews more than any other Sabre. Power ranked third on the team in 5-on-5 ice time and received the second-most defensive-zone faceoffs. He had a plus-2 rating and broke up a 2-on-1 with Matthews and Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Mark Giordano.
“It’s just an approach we take and it’s where we’re at as an organization,” said Granato. “We need these young guys to take this team and this franchise over.”
The Sabres will use the final seven games to develop and evaluate. Power, Dahlin, Jokiharju and Samuelsson are long-term solutions on defense. Bryson and Fitzgerald are auditioning to be part of the top six next fall. We likely won't see much of veterans Pysyk, Butcher and Colin Miller, whom are pending unrestricted free agents.
And though the Sabres need to develop a goaltending plan beyond this season to bide time until a prospect is ready for the starting job, they finally have forward depth and the makings of a dynamic defense corps, led by Power, Dahlin, Samuelsson and Jokiharju.
“They might be young guys, but they’re starting to get a lot of experience and they’re playing with a lot of poise,” said Tuch. “They’re playing together, they’re playing confident, and it really gives our forward group a lot more confidence to really rely on them. … It’s really good to see and this organization, especially defensively, has a really bright future.”
