What a difference a year and a reliable center or two makes.
Last season, the Buffalo Sabres ranked dead last in power-play efficiency, converting on only 13.4 percent of their opportunities. In 2015-16, under head coach Dan Bylsma and with the addition of some key personnel, the Sabres' success rate has risen to 18.9 percent, good for a ranking of 13th.
The improvement was on full display during Tuesday's game against New Jersey, in which Buffalo opened the scoring with a beautifully executed power-play goal from Ryan O'Reilly that was assisted by Jack Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen.
Here's how it happened.
The play began with an O'Reilly faceoff win to the left of Cory Schneider, with the puck quickly gobbled up by brother Cal O'Reilly.
Cal wasted no time dishing the puck to Ristolainen on the point.
Eichel, a 19-year-old rookie, was tasked by Bylsma to man the left point, and it's to him that Ristolainen immediately fired a one-touch pass.
Just as quickly as he received the puck, Eichel fires a quick and hard one-touch pass of his own to Ryan, who had been left unchecked by the Devils' defense.
Using the time and space afforded to him by the quick puck movement, Ryan was able to gather the puck and put himself in position to wind up for a slap shot that was delivered top shelf, glove side past Schneider.
Altogether, the play lasted five seconds, with four different Sabres touching the puck as it traveled from the faceoff dot to the back of the net. The play began and ended with Ryan, with Eichel and Ristolainen playing key parts in keeping the puck moving and the defense flummoxed.
This short but effective sequence is but one example of why the Sabres' power play, and the team as a whole, is on the rise heading into next season.
