The start to the Sabres’ 2023/24 campaign has been anything but storybook.
Zero wins, two very ugly losses. The top forwards have been nowhere to be found on the scoresheet.
You know who has been on the scoresheet? Zach Benson.
The 18-year-old recorded his first-career point in Saturday night’s game as well as a second point which tied the game.
When the season began, the question was if Zach Benson would do enough to stick around in the NHL. Now the question is if Zach Benson has been the Sabres best player through the first two games.
Dom Luszczyszyn’s GameScore metric seems to think so. This metric measures single game player productivity using both counting stats and on ice impacts:
We can also take a look at where he ranks on the Sabres in 5v5 Expected Goals For Percentage via Evolving-Hockey’s model. This stat takes a look at which percentage of the expected goals when a player is on the ice are for his team rather than against:
We can even take a look at good, old-fashioned points and you will see a familiar name towards the top of the Sabres’ leaderboard:
I know, I know. It has only been two games, so it’s far too early to get carried away.
However, there are a lot of traits in Benson’s game that will continue to lead to positive results at the NHL level. So let’s go over some of them:
Checking Detail
The physical side of the game is always a mixed bag when it comes to rookie NHLers.
You have the players that try to shy away from contact and stick to the perimeter.
You have the players who get overly aggressive, taking themselves out of the play completely.
Well, here’s the first shift of the game vs. the Islanders for #9.
He reads the dump in (knows he won’t be first to the puck), times/angles the check on Adam Pelech (NYI #3), gets stick to puck while tying up Pelech, and the puck bounces out for a nearly dangerous opportunity:
The detail in his forechecking game has just been remarkable for an 18-year-old prospect. He baits players into traps where he seals them off to win the puck. He reads where the puck can be moved rather than reacting, limiting his opponent’s options and forcing turnovers.
Benson is relentless in pressuring whoever the opposing defenseman is on his side of the ice. He’s like a bee buzzing by their ears.
Eventually we get Benson’s assist to tie the game vs. the Islanders, which is really just the final result of a very strong forechecking game by him on Saturday.
The play kicks off with Zach Benson (5’10” and 175 lbs) just getting wiped out along the boards by Matt Martin (6’3” and 220 lbs). It even looks like Martin has some choice words for Benson after the hit as well.
As Benson got up and adjusted his helmet, I thought there were two likely outcomes here: he either shies away from further contact with Martin along the boards or he gets overly aggressive once Martin moves the puck, taking himself out of the play.
Let’s see what he decided to do:
He wins the puck along the wall. It bounces out to Casey Mittelstadt where he finishes things with a nice backhand goal. I should have know that there was a third possible outcome after that Matt Martin hit. Zach Benson doesn’t let the heat of the moment get to him.
Drawing Attention
When you face a team like the Rangers or Islanders, who aren’t afraid to sit back in numbers, it constantly looks like you are outnumbered when moving the puck up ice. That is because oftentimes you are outnumbered.
The Sabres would get caught dumping it in after passing the puck up ice, not having the numbers to get to the puck first or win the battles. They would also try to stickhandle through the zone, get swarmed, and make an ill-advised pass or simply turn the puck over.
Let’s watch a Zach Benson zone entry.
At the NHL level, Benson understands he cannot do the same WHL-style entries where he out-skates three players and scores a highlight reel goal. The Islanders outnumber him 3 to 1 when he enters the zone with the puck.
Benson loves doing a curl back to the point where he moves to the center of the ice. This little move takes Scott Mayfield (NYI #24) off the left wall and creates a space for Casey Mittelstadt (BUF #37) who was able to build up momentum in the neutral zone and enters the offensive zone with great speed:
All Zach Benson had to do here was a make a quick three-foot pass to a wide open Casey Mittelstadt. He didn’t have to try to stickhandle through three players, he didn’t have to try to needle a pass through three opponents. He simplified the game, the best recipe for beating an aggressive defensive team.
I know not much happened on that sequence, but if you can enter the zone that cleanly enough times then something will eventually break in favor of your team.
That will lead us right into a sequence where something does happen.
Benson hops on a loose puck (a common theme with him) in the middle of the ice. He enters the zone through the center of the ice where he is surrounded by not one, not two, but three New York Islanders.
This play was a bit unintentional in how he drew all of these opponents to him, but he draws them and creates space for his teammates nonetheless. This creates a ton of space for Mittelstadt (BUF #37) and Benson is somehow able to sneak the pass to him through contact.
It also creates time and space for Greenway (BUF #12) who is able to beat Pelech (NYI #3) to space a score a dazzling backhand goal shortly after receiving the puck:
Winning loose pucks, baiting opponents on the forecheck, drawing defenders, fighting through contact, creating space for teammates. These were all traits that you don’t see from a decent chunk of NHLers, but were fully on display for Zach Benson on Saturday night.
If I were a betting man, I’d bet my mortgage on Benson staying in Buffalo this season.
That is just how good I think this player has been and can continue to be.
I’m very excited to see savoie and benson playing