Buffalo Sabres would need more than just Jason Zucker’s return to solve their struggles with power play

The Buffalo Sabres' historic winning streak has come to an end, and suddenly the focus has shifted from chasing records to fixing glaring problems. Chief among those issues is a power play that has gone completely cold, scoring just three goals in their last 27 opportunities.Jason Zucker is set to return from the injury he suffered on December 8, and head coach Lindy Ruff believes his presence will help. Zucker leads the team with five power-play goals despite appearing in only 21 games this season and was particularly hot before getting hurt, with three consecutive games featuring a power-play goal.

Buffalo Sabres need some serious changes in their points production to really dominate

Ruff acknowledged after the loss to Columbus that changes are coming. "We will look at it now that Zucks will be ready to go back in the lineup," he said.

"He was good on the power plays, good around the front, and could be the piece missing for us."While Zucker's return should provide an immediate boost, the Sabres can't simply slot him back in and expect everything to be fixed. The power play hasn't scored in six straight games, and the current structure clearly isn't working.The top unit since Zucker's injury has featured Josh Doan, Tage Thompson, Josh Norris, Zach Benson, and Rasmus Dahlin.

The second unit has been Alex Tuch, Ryan McLeod, Jack Quinn, Owen Power, and Bowen Byram. Those combinations haven't generated nearly enough offense.One necessary change involves moving Josh Norris down to the second unit. While Norris has been productive on the power play in the past, including 23 power-play points during the 2021-22 season, Zach Benson has been Buffalo's most effective player with the man advantage lately. Benson has one power-play goal and one assist over the past 10 games, the only Sabres player with multiple points during that stretch. The second unit particularly needs an overhaul. Ryan McLeod has struggled badly, recording just one shot and zero scoring chances despite significant ice time. According to Natural Stat Trick, McLeod has the sixth-most power-play minutes over the past 10 games but has accomplished nothing with those opportunities.

Buffalo should consider giving Noah Ostlund a chance on the second unit. The young forward has limited power-play experience this season, with just over 27 minutes of ice time, but he does have one power-play goal and was effective for Rochester last season with four. The Sabres also need to reconsider using two defensemen on the second unit. Bowen Byram has been slightly better than Owen Power lately and deserves the spot, but going with just one defenseman would open up room for another forward who can create offense. And Zucker’s return will definitely help, but Buffalo needs a complete power-play restructuring to get back on trackAlso Read: Bowen Byram leads Buffalo Sabres past Ottawa Senators in seventh straight NHL victory game