The Sabres have spent most of this early stretch shuffling pieces around the board, but one forward unit keeps holding its ground. Zach Benson, Noah Östlund and Jack Quinn have given Buffalo a rare pocket of consistency through nine games, and the numbers back up the eye test.
At 5-on-5, that trio has logged 95 minutes together and stacked up as one of the league’s better lines among groups with at least 70 minutes. Per Stathletes, they rank fourth in goal differential at 6-1, third in shot differential at 43-19 and scoring chance differential at 26-14, and fifth in expected goal share at 63.91%.
“It’s been fun. Obviously, we’ve been going pretty good as a line,” Benson said after Monday’s practice at KeyBank Center.
“Just competing and making plays. I think just all using our hockey IQ to our advantage and trying to make the next play.”
The line’s success has been driven by Quinn, who has five goals, tied for the team lead, and four assists. The 25-year-old has been muscling pucks off the wall, carrying them into dangerous ice and spending more time with the puck than any Sabres forward at 12:32. He’s also been winning more battles and even mixed it up with Toronto’s Troy Stecher in a brief fight on Thursday.
“He’s an elite elite player,” Benson said, and with Quinn creating offense on the move, Benson’s job has become a familiar one: be around the net and be ready.
“A little less hunting the puck (for me) and being ready for him to fire it,” Benson said. “A little bit of screen and get out of the way, because he can definitely rip the pill.”
Benson still hasn’t scored, but he’s hardly been quiet. He has six assists and carries a four-game point streak, plus 22 chances created, which is second on the team behind Tage Thompson. There’s precedent for a slow start, too; last season, Benson didn’t score until Dec. 11, his 18th game.
“You don’t ever want to not score a goal,” he said, “but when you’re contributing and making plays and your line’s going… I feel like my game’s in a good spot right now, and our whole line, so it’s keep playing your game, and you’ll hopefully get one soon.”
Ruff said the message is to stay patient and keep the process intact.
“Just stick with the process,” echoed Ruff. “You look at the effort he had on the shorthanded goal by Quinn the other night.
Great effort. That line has had a lot of success.
Mainly, the success has been going to Quinn in the goal department, but if a line is producing, usually you’re a big part of it. And I think he has been.”
Elsewhere, Thompson, Jiri Kulich and Josh Doan remained together on the top line after being joined mid-game Saturday in Montreal and combining for the tying goal. Jason Zucker, who is dealing with a sports hernia, is on track to make his season debut Wednesday against the Flyers. He and Konsta Helenius had strong chemistry in the playoffs.
Rasmus Dahlin returned to the top pair after missing the last three-plus games with an upper-body injury and expects to play against Philadelphia. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen handled the home net Monday and is expected to make his fourth straight start. Tyson Kozak, who has an upper-body injury, was back at practice, while Justin Danforth was not there.
The Sabres came away with six of eight points during last week’s Atlantic Division test, but they also know there’s another level to reach. Monday’s session had plenty of smiles and some laughs, yet Ruff also delivered his share of hard-edged coaching.
“The vibe’s good. We’re a confident bunch.
Maybe our starts have to be a little better, but I like where our game’s at,” Benson said. “… We’ve got a lot better (in us); Lindy’s gonna push that in practice.
We have all the confidence in the world in this room.”
Buffalo returns home to face the Flyers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in a national broadcast on TNT, truTV and HBO Max before the next road trip begins.
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