When Steve Tasker talks about team dynamics, you listen. The former Bills special teams standout-arguably the best to ever do it in that role-knows what it means to be a glue guy. So when he recently joined Sabres Live and shifted the conversation from football to hockey, his insight into the Buffalo Sabres carried weight.
Tasker, a seven-time Pro Bowler and a name that still echoes through Orchard Park, has been keeping tabs on the Sabres’ climb up the NHL standings. And like any sharp observer of team sports, he noticed a key turning point: the dip in Buffalo’s form right before the Olympic break, coinciding with Zach Benson’s injury.
“Benson is out, he went in hard to the boards and got his shoulder, and then you look and they're not that good without him,” Tasker said. “It’s not like I’m watching every shift waiting for him to change the game. But that’s how it goes-one guy goes down, and the whole energy shifts.”
That’s the thing with players like Benson. He’s not the flashiest name on the roster, and you won’t find him leading the league in scoring.
But if you’re only watching the box score, you’re missing the full picture. Benson’s value lies in the details: the relentless forecheck, the gritty puck battles, the plays he keeps alive along the boards, and the pressure he creates behind the net.
He’s the kind of player who makes life easier for everyone else on the ice-and the numbers back it up.
With Benson in the lineup, the Sabres are 28-10-4, good for a .714 points percentage. Without him?
Just 4-9-2, a steep drop to .333. Sure, that stat line isn’t the whole story-injuries, scheduling, and other factors play a role-but it’s hard to ignore the pattern.
When Benson plays, Buffalo looks like a playoff team. When he’s out, they struggle to find their rhythm.
Through 42 games this season, Benson has logged 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists). Modest on paper, but his fingerprints are all over this team’s success. He does the dirty work in all three zones, and his compete level in front of the net is something the Sabres don’t have in abundance outside of Josh Doan.
And that’s what makes this Sabres group intriguing. Sure, stars like Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin are the headliners.
You need elite talent to win in this league. But it’s the Benson-types-the grinders, the high-motor guys, the ones who make the smart, tough plays-that turn a good team into a dangerous one.
Tasker, ever the team-first guy, sees the second half of the season as a proving ground for this young Buffalo squad.
“These next 20, 25 games, whatever is left, it’s about finding out what you gotta do to beat that team in a series,” he said. “If we face these guys in the first round, second round, whatever, how are we going to do it four out of seven?”
That’s the playoff mindset. And Buffalo, currently holding the top wild-card spot in the East with a 32-19-6 record, is inching closer to a long-awaited return to the postseason.
The Sabres haven’t seen playoff hockey since 2011-a 14-year drought that stands as the longest in NHL history. But with the Olympic break offering a chance to reset and regroup, the timing couldn’t be better for reinforcements.
Benson is expected back after the break. Josh Norris could be returning as well.
And if the front office decides to make a move or two before the deadline? That could be the final push this team needs.
But make no mistake: if the Sabres are going to snap that playoff skid, it won’t be just because of the stars. It’ll be because of players like Zach Benson-guys who don’t always make the highlight reel, but always make a difference.
And if that happens, don’t be surprised if Tasker’s words ring even louder come spring.