3 Takeaways from Sabres Preseason Game Against Blue Jackets

The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-1 in their second-straight decisive victory to open the preseason. Similar to the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Sabres iced an NHL lineup against a mix of NHL and AHL talent from the Blue Jackets. While they were expected to win, the commanding fashion of the two preseason victories should boost the team’s psyche heading into the trip overseas.

The Sabres opened the scoring on an early five-on-three powerplay. Owen Power crept down low on his off-wing and beat Columbus goalie Jet Greaves. A miscue by Devon Levi allowed the Blue Jackets to tie things up, as he whiffed on grabbing the puck with his blocker. Mathieu Olivier buried the goal in front, and the Blue Jackets outworked the Sabres for the rest of the first period.

Zach Benson responded for Buffalo a little over five minutes into the second, finishing a Jack Quinn rebound into a wide-open net. The transition play in the middle period played to the Sabres’ advantage again, as Peyton Krebs whipped a one-touch pass from Tage Thompson past Greaves.

The doors blew open for the second straight game as third-period goals by Dylan Cozens and Mattias Samuelsson stretched the Sabres lead over the Blue Jackets to four. Nicolas Aube-Kubel joined in on the fun, finishing a nice backhand pass in front by Sam Lafferty.

Benson Thriving

The second-line left-wing spot was not specifically addressed in the offseason, leaving it open to competition. To start training camp, Benson and Jiri Kulich rotated on the line with Cozens and Jack Quinn. Newcomer Jason Zucker was also projected to be in the mix.

As things sit now, without question, it’s Benson’s job. Aside from the goal and primary assist he registered, he was Buffalo’s most-involved forward against the Blue Jackets.

PuckLuck is currently projecting him for 34 points on the season. Considering his deployment in the top six and on the second powerplay unit, he should have no problems surpassing that projection.

More Benson: Can Zach Benson Take a Leap in Sophomore Season for Sabres

More Powerplay Success

The new-look powerplay struck again against Columbus after JJ Peterka notched a goal with the man advantage in the first preseason game. Power was the scorer this time, working the right flank on a two-man advantage. The Sabres have been noticeably active on the powerplay, working the puck down low much more often than last season.

The emphasis on extended zone time by winning puck battles is also paying early dividends. If the Sabres continue to show quality effort on the powerplay, their talent should shine.

Sabres Powerplay: How Seth Appert Can Help the Sabres Powerplay

Shorthanded Forwards Rotate

We saw a lot of Cozens and Quinn on the penalty kill versus the Penguins, but that changed on Monday. The Sabres relied on checkers Sam Lafferty and Beck Malenstyn as the top shorthanded duo, followed by Ryan McLeod and Jordan Greenway.

Cozens didn’t get a full penalty-kill shift until a third forward duo was deployed. Interestingly, this time, it was with Benson, not Quinn. There is clearly an audition for the top shorthanded usage, although having numerous options should prove beneficial throughout the season.