BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� Call it the man disadvantage in Buffalo.
Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin can appreciate how much room for improvement there is for a power-play unit that produced at one of the worst rates in an NHL playoff series over the past 50 years.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a concern, but we definitely have to get better,鈥� Dahlin said Sunday, two days after the in six games in the first round.
鈥淲e need a couple more goals,鈥� Dahlin added. 鈥淭o be able to win series down the stretch, you need a good power play. We鈥檙e aware of it, and we鈥檙e working on it.鈥�
The Sabres have a few days to tinker before hosting Game 1 of the against The question is how much they can improve a unit that converted 1 of 24 chances against Boston.
According to Sportradar, Buffalo鈥檚 4.2% power-play conversion rate was tied for 865th out of 897 teams that had 20 or more opportunities in a playoff series since 1978. The Sabres also went 0 for 22 on the power play over their final seven regular-season games.
鈥淚 look at it right now as everybody鈥檚 power play going into round two is just wipe it clean and start again,鈥� coach Lindy Ruff said. 鈥淪tay with the process and something will go.鈥�
Ruff said he saw signs of improvement in the unit. He argued that Buffalo scored two power-play goals, noting that Josh Doan scored 2 seconds after a too-many-men penalty expired in a 6-1 win in Game 4.
Dahlin scored Buffalo鈥檚 lone power-play goal in .
Injuries played a factor
One problem, Ruff said, was a lack of continuity due to injuries to forwards Josh Norris and Noah Ostlund. Norris missed Games 3-5 with an upper-body injury. Ostlund missed the first two games and is now sidelined indefinitely after a lower left leg injury sustained in Game 5.
Another factor, Ruff said, was the youth of his team. Buffalo is making its and has just 11 players with past postseason experience.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still a young power play,鈥� Ruff said. 鈥淭he best power plays a lot of times are power plays that have been together.鈥�
Buffalo鈥檚 24 power-play chances ranked fourth through the first round, and the team had the man advantage for 45 minutes, 58 seconds, which ranks second.
Then again, power-play success doesn鈥檛 translate into series victories. Dallas and Edmonton ranked second and third in power-play production in the first round, only to be eliminated.
Better in other areas
On the bright side, the Sabres鈥� 15 goals in five-on-five situations rank third among playoff teams, while their penalty-killing unit ranks sixth, allowing two goals on 17 chances.
There鈥檚 also a historical upside to Buffalo鈥檚 struggles. Of the six teams that won their series with lower power-play conversion rates, five reached the Stanley Cup Final, and two 鈥� Montreal (1993) and Boston (2011) 鈥� went to win the title.
鈥淚 think the great thing is now we鈥檙e through the first series, and round two, it鈥檚 a whole new season,鈥� said Tage Thompson, who led the team with 40 goals and 81 points in the regular season.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 keep thinking about how it鈥檚 been going. Just try to improve it and get better and focus on the next opportunity,鈥� Thompson added. 鈥淚f we can get our power play going and start scoring some goals, it鈥檒l help us take over games even more.鈥�
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AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.
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