An unfortunate blow for one of the rising blueliners in the NHL.
On Tuesday, Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato announced that defenseman Owen Power will be out of the lineup for the team’s game against the Los Angeles Kings due to injury.
While speaking to the media, he also said that they expect Power to miss a handful of games. The 56-year-old coach confirmed the injury happened during practice on Monday, but is not expected to keep Power out long-term. The team is projecting the former first-overall pick will miss at least one week, and maybe more.
According to reports, the injury was to Power’s hand, but that has not been confirmed by the team.
It creates a sizeable hole on the Sabres’ blueline. Power had been playing well over 22 minutes a game this season, including averaging over 24 minutes in the last 10. His numbers have gone down considerably during this sophomore slump, having scored two goals and 16 assists in 51 games, only picking up one assist over his last nine appearances.
Those totals are a little off the pace that led to him registering 35 points during his 2022-23 rookie campaign.
With Power out of the lineup, Buffalo will need players like Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson to play in a bigger role behind the top pair of Rasmus Dahilin and Henri Jokiharju.
Power joined the Sabres with much fanfare after a promising career at the University of Michigan. The Mississauga native has shown a confidence with the puck in spurts throughout the early stages of his time in the NHL. There is a desire for his awareness in his own zone to improve, but that is to be expected since Power is just 21 years old.
In 138 career games, Power has registered eight goals and 48 assists. He is in the final year of his entry-level contract, with his seven-year, $8.35 million AAV deal kicking in next season.
After playing the Kings, the Sabres (22-25-4) will host an Atlantic Division rival, the Florida Panthers, on Thursday, before visiting the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Buffalo is seventh in the Atlantic, four points ahead of the last-place Ottawa Senators, and 12 points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
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