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Sabres still have a major problem, one they need to fix to chase a Stanley Cup originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
BUFFALO, N.Y. – By the end of the night, all had been forgotten and forgiven.
The Buffalo Sabres had mounted a comeback for the ages, and so the woes that had seemed so major mere moments earlier now could be stressed about some other time.
Well, that other time might be now.
The Sabres are 0-for-April on the power play. And if they don't fix that, no Stanley Cup is forthcoming.
The streak in April is now 0-for-18, and it stretches back further, having failed to turn any of their last 26 power plays into a goal.
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On Sunday night against the Boston Bruins, it looked early on like the Sabres might break through. Their first power play featured three high-impact shots from dangerous areas that goalie Jeremy Swayman had to be very sharp against.
But then on their next two power plays, the Sabres didn't come close to getting even a single shot on net. They were often stifled simply entering the zone, not even getting to set up their system before the puck was being cleared back down the other way.
By the end of the second spineless power play chance, the Buffalo crowd booed, pretty loudly.
It's an odd situation to figure out, because the Sabres were so clearly the faster, better team in 5-on-5. How could removing a player from the ice change things?
It seemed, at least in the moments Sunday night, that Buffalo actually felt more comfortable cycling the puck around when the Bruins came out and defended aggressively. When Boston was on the penalty kill, though, they sat back and waited a bit, which changed the dynamics.
Whatever the reason, it's clearly something Buffalo has to fix.
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In the postgame press conference, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was asked if Buffalo needs to "change everything."
He said the word "no" six times before explaining his thoughts.
"Some of the best power plays have been together for a long time," Ruff said. "The players have been together for a long time. You can't just start changing everything. There's a lot of little areas in our power play. The first power play was really good, after that, we digressed a bit. We're not gonna change everything. We've got to execute at a higher level. We've got to break their pressure and understand where that's gonna be. Sometimes you just have to flat-out win more battles."
Maybe change in strategy isn't needed, but somehow, the Sabres need their power play to make an improved impact going forward.
If it can, this team's existing strength at 5-on-5 will get even that much more potent. And a team that can win games in all facets can rattle off a deep postseason run.
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