The Buffalo Sabres didn’t have much to feel good about in Thursday night’s 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Noah Ostlund, Jack Quinn and Zach Benson gave them a line worth watching.
That trio each left the game with at least one point. Quinn scored Buffalo’s second goal of the night, with Ostlund and Benson picking up assists on the play. Ostlund added another assist earlier in the game, making him one of just two Sabres to finish with multiple points, alongside Owen Power.
There was already a hint of what this group could become in the opener. In the first game of the season, the line posted a 72.22% CF%, outshot the opposition 6-1 while they were on the ice, and finished second on the team in xGF% at 73.40%, trailing only Tage Thompson’s line, according to Natural Stat Trick.
“I think we can be a really good line, and I think we can keep getting better,” Jack Quinn said after being asked about the chemistry of this line.
That upside is the selling point here. Among the four forward lines Buffalo used Thursday, this one has the highest ceiling because all three players took meaningful steps forward last season and still have room to grow.
Quinn reached 50 points for the first time in his career last year, scoring 20 goals, and he already has one goal this season. He nearly had another on the power play when he beat Jet Greaves, but the puck slipped under the goalie, hit the post, and was cleared away.
Benson made a big jump from 28 points to 43 and finished with a plus-27 rating, then added nine points in 13 playoff games. Ostlund was a rookie last season and still managed 27 points in 60 games.
What makes the line stand out is how complete each player is. They can pressure opponents into mistakes on the forecheck, and they also handle their responsibilities in the defensive zone.
Quinn also got his first crack at penalty-kill work, logging more than a minute against Columbus. Buffalo’s penalty kill wasn’t sharp, but that’s going to take time to settle in without Alex Tuch this season.
For now, this looks like the Sabres’ most balanced line, which helps explain why it logged the most time on ice of any Buffalo unit Thursday, at just over 11 minutes. If the early signs hold, that number may keep climbing as the season goes on.
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