Man disadvantage in Buffalo. Sabres advance to Round 2 despite anemic power play

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Call it the man disadvantage in Buffalo.

Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin can appreciate how much room for improvement there is for a power-play unit that produced at one of the worst rates in an NHL playoff series over the past 50 years.

“I don’t think it’s a concern, but we definitely have to get better,” Dahlin said Sunday, two days after the Sabres eliminated the Boston Bruins in six games in the first round.

“We need a couple more goals,” Dahlin added. “To be able to win series down the stretch, you need a good power play. We’re aware of it, and we’re working on it.”

The Sabres have a few days to tinker before hosting Game 1 of the second round on Wednesday against Montreal. The question is how much they can improve a unit that converted 1 of 24 chances against Boston.

According to Sportradar, Buffalo’s 4.2 per cent power-play conversion rate was tied for 865th out of 897 teams that had 20 or more opportunities in a playoff series since 1978. The Sabres also went 0-for-22 on the power play over their final seven regular-season games.

“I look at it right now as everybody’s power play going into round two is just wipe it clean and start again,” said coach Lindy Ruff. “Stay with the process and something will go.”

Ruff said he saw signs of improvement in the unit. He argued that Buffalo scored two power-play goals, noting that Josh Doan scored two seconds after a too-many-men penalty expired in a 6-1 win in Game 4.

Dahlin scored Buffalo’s lone power-play goal in a 2-1 overtime loss in Game 5.

Injuries played a factor

One problem, Ruff said, was a lack of continuity due to injuries to forwards Josh Norris and Noah Ostlund. Norris missed Games 3-5 with an upper-body injury. Ostlund missed the first two games and is now sidelined indefinitely after a lower left leg injury sustained in Game 5.

Another factor, Ruff said, was the youth of his team. Buffalo is making its first playoff appearance in 15 years and has just 11 players with past post-season experience.

“We’re still a young power play,” Ruff said. “The best power plays a lot of times are power plays that have been together.”

Buffalo’s 24 power-play chances ranked fourth through the first round, and the team had the man advantage for 45 minutes, 58 seconds, which ranks second.

Then again, power-play success doesn’t translate into series victories. Dallas and Edmonton ranked second and third in power-play production in the first round, only to be eliminated.

Better in other areas

On the bright side, the Sabres’ 15 goals in five-on-five situations rank third among playoff teams, while their penalty-killing unit ranks sixth, allowing two goals on 17 chances.

There’s also a historical upside to Buffalo’s struggles. Of the six teams that won their series with lower power-play conversion rates, five reached the Stanley Cup final, and two — Montreal (1993) and Boston (2011) — went on to win the title.

“I think the great thing is now we’re through the first series, and Round 2, it’s a whole new season,” said Tage Thompson, who led the team with 40 goals and 81 points in the regular season.

“You can’t keep thinking about how it’s been going. Just try to improve it and get better and focus on the next opportunity,” Thompson added. “If we can get our power play going and start scoring some goals, it’ll help us take over games even more.”

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AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/nhl

John Wawrow, The Associated Press