Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR) - The Buffalo Sabres have the worst power play in the NHL running at 9.1%. To give you an idea of how bad that is, the top power play in the league is the Utah Mammoth at 36.1%. On Wednesday the Sabres will be getting back their best power play man in Jason Zucker. He had surgery in August and has gotten through rehab and is ready.
Last season Zucker scored 10 power play goals in just 62 games. In the last two seasons he has 21 goals with the extra man and that's with missing 29 games. Tage Thompson would be next in the past two years and nine games this season with only 14 power play goals. He's played 31 more games than Zucker. Lindy Ruff acknowledges what Zucker could mean to a struggling unit,
"He's been good on the power play for us, so that is an area that will help us.
"I think we'll start him off on one unit and we might just tweak those units to see how and we've got some moving pieces that we're going to have to find out about."
Why is Zucker so valuable with the extra man? Ruff believes it's because he's in the dirty areas,
"A guy that's played well for us, the top of the circles down and net front he's been great at tipping goals and second opportunities."
Wednesday is when Zucker was told by the medical staff that he could likely play. He got back on the ice with the team on Oct. 6 and has been getting himself back into shape. He said then that had to make sure that the injury was strong enough to play and that of course is a process.
Zucker has been around this game long enough to know that he has to listen to his body or he will wind up being out longer. He said,
"That's the worst part of the game, injuries are a part of the game, but it's the worst.
"Unlucky for me I've done this far too many times throughout my career and know that rushing it never works out in your favor, you're going to comeback and then feel it within a couple of games and go backwards and you're gonna end up out of the lineup again with another injury, so I needed to stick to the timeline."
The Sabres host the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday before leaving on another long road trip Friday.
TUESDAY'S LINES:
Thompson - Kulich - Doan
Benson - Ostlund - Quinn
Zucker - Norris - Helenius
Krebs - McLeod - Malenstyn
Dahlin - Samulesson
Power - Zellweger
Metsa - Crevier
Kozak - Gilbert
The veteran winger should give the power play a boost.
The veteran winger should give the power play a boost.
