Owen Power leads the NHL in even strength points for defenseman

[Big Guava]

Power had two assists which now gives him 15 even strength points, best in the NHL passing Cale Makar who he was tied with heading into the game.

For those who constantly want to use Power as a whipping boy I think it's time you probably stop seeing what you want to see and start seeing what's actually there.

He might not be the greatest in his own zone but he is very valuable in transition offense and starting plays from deep in his own zone with stretch passes...has been since his rookie year. The defense will come with time, that's how it usually works for young players.

Definitely starting to come along more and more as the season moves forward.

Edited November 23 by Big Guava

[ska-T Chitown]

1 minute ago, Big Guava said:

Power had two assists which now gives him 15 even strength points, best in the NHL passing Cale Makar who he was tied with heading into the game.

For those who constantly want to use Power as a whipping boy I think it's time you probably stop seeing what you want to see and start seeing what's actually there.

He might not be the greatest in his own zone but he is very valuable in transition offense and starting plays from deep in his own zone with stretch passes...has been since his rookie year.

Definitely starting to come along more and more as the season moves forward.

Most people dump on Power b/c he does not hit people enough. I think his biggest "flaw" is that he does not maintain possession often enough on 50/50 pucks, but I think he is learning and getting better. I think a lot of turnovers that are attributed to him are actually teammates on the wall fumbling his passes and turning it over. 

BTW (not at you, just at the larger "you" of the board) - getting the puck out of your zone effective, whether via his super snappy stretch passes or carrying it out, IS effective play in his own zone.

[LabattBlue]

5 minutes ago, ska-T Chitown said:

Most people dump on Power b/c he does not hit people enough. 

You are wrong.  It is his unwillingness to lean on a player to stop progress along the boards, or just tie a man up in front of the net that is maddening for a player of his size regardless of age. 
 

 

[ska-T Chitown]

Just now, LabattBlue said:

You are wrong.  It is his unwillingness to lean on a player to stop progress along the boards, or just tie a man up in front of the net that is maddening for a player of his size regardless of age. 
 

 

You are right ... I was over-simplifying. I disagree with some of the criticism, though. Most of the time he uses his reach to pinch an opposing player off and direct them to less dangerous areas of the ice without taking himself out of position. Sorta like the anti-Risto.

I have also seen him using his big frame to shield the puck more often this year in the corners and behind his own net. It is a work in progress, but it is there.

Net front? Oy .. they boy has some work to do there, but if we are being honest - who are the good examples on the Sabres for him to follow? 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

NORRIS CUSP !!

(paging @Stoner)

[Jorcus]

One thing I have noticed about his game is he is not going as deep in the O zone as much as he used to. Often he would go behind the opposing goal and get pinned or knocked down taking him way out of position and often setting up odd man rushes. He did get knocked down on the half wall last night and it was one of the few times I noticed that kind of issue this year. 

The other thing about net front. It's not like the old days where you can whack and crack players anymore. Power got called for a net front cross check a few games ago that seemed pretty light compared to what used to go on. It's more about holding position and having the strength to lean an attacker out of the net front. If that does not work you better have a good stick to redirect passes and shots which seems to be the Sabre way right now.

[Mango]

2 hours ago, ska-T Chitown said:

Most people dump on Power b/c he does not hit people enough. I think his biggest "flaw" is that he does not maintain possession often enough on 50/50 pucks, but I think he is learning and getting better. I think a lot of turnovers that are attributed to him are actually teammates on the wall fumbling his passes and turning it over. 

BTW (not at you, just at the larger "you" of the board) - getting the puck out of your zone effective, whether via his super snappy stretch passes or carrying it out, IS effective play in his own zone.

Powers biggest flaw is that he isn’t on a balanced roster/defensive unit. 

[ska-T Chitown]

2 hours ago, Mango said:

Powers biggest flaw is that he isn’t on a balanced roster/defensive unit. 

At this risk of a little hyperbole - pair him with a good solid stay-at-home type and he will be a nightmare for other teams.

[Taro T]

Just now, ska-T Chitown said:

At this risk of a little hyperbole - pair him with a good solid stay-at-home type and he will be a nightmare for other teams.

Unfortunately, at least until Johnson or one of the Russians are ready for the big time OR Adams makes a move, their best option for a partner for him is Jokiharju who really isn't a top 4 guy NOR a stay-at-home D-man.  (If he were even 1 or the other, it would lighten Power's burden and cover some of his flaws.)

[JohnC]

What's evident in Power's play is his increasing confidence in expanding his offensive game. He's not afraid to jump into the attack and go to the net when the opportunities arise. An example of that is when he went to the net in OT to take a pass from Tuch and get a shot off that ended up rebounding to Kulich who buried it. 

[msw2112]

Like most Sabres fans, I'm frustrated with Power's lack of physical play on the defensive side, but he's a young guy with tons of talent.  He does some things extremely well now (as this post sheds light on) and he'll improve in other areas.  He still has the upside to be a star player in the future.

[Big Guava]

3 hours ago, msw2112 said:

Like most Sabres fans, I'm frustrated with Power's lack of physical play on the defensive side, but he's a young guy with tons of talent.  He does some things extremely well now (as this post sheds light on) and he'll improve in other areas.  He still has the upside to be a star player in the future.

Something that was interesting was an interview with Rob Ray earlier in the week on WGR and he said he was talking with Power and he told him that it's been something he has had to work on learning again because when he was growing up playing he couldn't do that because he was so much bigger and stronger than everyone else that he would always get called for penalties if he tried to play physical, so he had to not do that or else he would spend the whole game in the box.

Said he is having to re-learn a lot of the physical game and how to bring that back into play.

Edited November 24 by Big Guava

[dudacek]

Power seems to have taken an interesting step this year. He's gotten better, but he's mostly gotten better at the things he was already good at, while making less obvious progress at the things he needed to improve most.

I guess hockey is like politics, people get fixated on specific things to the exclusion of what should be a broad palette of considerations?

It's weird to me that people who say things like 'Power can't clear the front of the net, he needs to sit' never say things like 'Dennis Gilbert can't make a breakout pass, he needs to sit' or 'Adam Fox can't clear the front of the net, he needs to sit'.

• Owen Power is among the best in the league at playing the point on offence, joining the rush, exiting the zone and making the stretch pass.
• He defends the rush pretty well, retrieves pucks pretty well, is OK at defending puck carriers one-on-one and pretty good at getting his stick into passing lanes.
• He often fails to adequately tie up his man off the puck, and is often guilty of making poor coverage decisions.
• His length/mobility combination is rare and allows him to be used in all situations against all types of opponents.
• He is a horse in terms of the amount of ice time he can handle without breaking down.
• He has a low panic threshold with the puck and sees the ice very well.
• He's had an increasingly positive role in an improving penalty kill.
• He tends to be inconsistent with some notably excellent and notably poor games.
• He literally has been the best in the league at creating offence 5-on-5 from the blueline.

So many things he does well seem to get missed because of his lack of edge. The idea that a player who brings so many good elements needs to be sat in favour of a Bryson or Gilbert or Ryan Johnson is unfathomable to me.

[Flashsabre]

6 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Power seems to have taken an interesting step this year. He's gotten better, but he's mostly gotten better at the things he was already good at, while making less obvious progress at the things he needed to improve most.

I guess hockey is like politics, people get fixated on specific things to the exclusion of what should be a broad palette of considerations?

It's weird to me that people who say things like 'Power can't clear the front of the net, he needs to sit' never say things like 'Dennis Gilbert can't make a breakout pass, he needs to sit' or 'Adam Fox can't clear the front of the net, he needs to sit'.

• Owen Power is among the best in the league at playing the point on offence, joining the rush, exiting the zone and making the stretch pass.
• He defends the rush pretty well, retrieves pucks pretty well, is OK at defending puck carriers one-on-one and pretty good at getting his stick into passing lanes.
• He often fails to adequately tie up his man off the puck, and is often guilty of making poor coverage decisions.
• His length/mobility combination is rare and allows him to be used in all situations against all types of opponents.
• He is a horse in terms of the amount of ice time he can handle without breaking down.
• He has a low panic threshold with the puck and sees the ice very well.
• He's had an increasingly positive role in an improving penalty kill.
• He tends to be inconsistent with some notably excellent and notably poor games.
• He literally has been the best in the league at creating offence 5-on-5 from the blueline.

So many things he does well seem to get missed because of his lack of edge. The idea that a player who brings so many good elements needs to be sat in favour of a Bryson or Gilbert or Ryan Johnson is unfathomable to me.

Good post and look at the best offensive D men in the league. Who is the tough physical presence among them?

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, Flashsabre said:

Good post and look at the best offensive D men in the league. Who is the tough physical presence among them?

Dahlin

If you accept Owen Power for what he is, you should be happy. He's steady and good. Idk if he will ever be great but the skill is there. 

[Flashsabre]

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Dahlin

If you accept Owen Power for what he is, you should be happy. He's steady and good. Idk if he will ever be great but the skill is there. 

I think he will be elite offensively. He is showing signs already. He’s never going to be as physical as Dahlin but hopefully that part will improve over time.

[Big Guava]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Power seems to have taken an interesting step this year. He's gotten better, but he's mostly gotten better at the things he was already good at, while making less obvious progress at the things he needed to improve most.

I guess hockey is like politics, people get fixated on specific things to the exclusion of what should be a broad palette of considerations?

It's weird to me that people who say things like 'Power can't clear the front of the net, he needs to sit' never say things like 'Dennis Gilbert can't make a breakout pass, he needs to sit' or 'Adam Fox can't clear the front of the net, he needs to sit'.

• Owen Power is among the best in the league at playing the point on offence, joining the rush, exiting the zone and making the stretch pass.
• He defends the rush pretty well, retrieves pucks pretty well, is OK at defending puck carriers one-on-one and pretty good at getting his stick into passing lanes.
• He often fails to adequately tie up his man off the puck, and is often guilty of making poor coverage decisions.
• His length/mobility combination is rare and allows him to be used in all situations against all types of opponents.
• He is a horse in terms of the amount of ice time he can handle without breaking down.
• He has a low panic threshold with the puck and sees the ice very well.
• He's had an increasingly positive role in an improving penalty kill.
• He tends to be inconsistent with some notably excellent and notably poor games.
• He literally has been the best in the league at creating offence 5-on-5 from the blueline.

So many things he does well seem to get missed because of his lack of edge. The idea that a player who brings so many good elements needs to be sat in favour of a Bryson or Gilbert or Ryan Johnson is unfathomable to me.

He is young, a lot of the inconsistent play can simply be attributed to that.

[dudacek]

Just now, Big Guava said:

He is young, a lot of the inconsistent play can simply be attributed to that.

He’s one of about 10 defencemen under 23 who are lineup fixtures.

About half of those guys are playing 20-plus hard minutes a night. None of them have as many points as Power, despite the fact most get more PP time.

Power is a plus player when more celebrated guys getting ridden hard like Sanderson and Hutson are big minuses.

Perspective is a wonderful thing.

[dudacek]

Just found out he's also leading all NHL defencemen in points per 60.

[pi2000]

newsflash.... he's good 😂

And he's doing all this at 2 days removed from his 22nd birthday 

Locking him up for 7 years at $8.5m was one of KA's better decisions.

Sure he could be more physical and make better decisions, but he's still a baby when it comes to defesemen.  He'll continue to develop.

 

[nfreeman]

5 hours ago, dudacek said:

Power seems to have taken an interesting step this year. He's gotten better, but he's mostly gotten better at the things he was already good at, while making less obvious progress at the things he needed to improve most.

I guess hockey is like politics, people get fixated on specific things to the exclusion of what should be a broad palette of considerations?

It's weird to me that people who say things like 'Power can't clear the front of the net, he needs to sit' never say things like 'Dennis Gilbert can't make a breakout pass, he needs to sit' or 'Adam Fox can't clear the front of the net, he needs to sit'.

• Owen Power is among the best in the league at playing the point on offence, joining the rush, exiting the zone and making the stretch pass.
• He defends the rush pretty well, retrieves pucks pretty well, is OK at defending puck carriers one-on-one and pretty good at getting his stick into passing lanes.
• He often fails to adequately tie up his man off the puck, and is often guilty of making poor coverage decisions.
• His length/mobility combination is rare and allows him to be used in all situations against all types of opponents.
• He is a horse in terms of the amount of ice time he can handle without breaking down.
• He has a low panic threshold with the puck and sees the ice very well.
• He's had an increasingly positive role in an improving penalty kill.
• He tends to be inconsistent with some notably excellent and notably poor games.
• He literally has been the best in the league at creating offence 5-on-5 from the blueline.

So many things he does well seem to get missed because of his lack of edge. The idea that a player who brings so many good elements needs to be sat in favour of a Bryson or Gilbert or Ryan Johnson is unfathomable to me.

Good stuff here sir.  Keep it coming please.

But did you mean "high panic threshold" or perhaps "low panic frequency?"  i.e. doesn't panic easily?  I would guess so.

In any case I like this summary of OP's game and would just add:

- He probably won't develop a real edge, but he needs more overall sturdiness.  This will almost certainly come with age.

- On offense, this currently manifests in a pretty weak shot.  He doesn't have either a good slapper or a good wrister.  I think this too will come with age.  He has the hands, the feet and the brains.

- He's had a few games this year that made me think he can become a great player.

- I think Byram is going to stay with Dahlin, and that this will create a coveted #4 spot with Power to be competed over by Ryan Johnson, the 2 Russian D prospects, and Bryson over the next couple of years.

[North Buffalo]

Again when you see so much potential... if he could, and last game I saw some improvement, stay on his pins in the corner. he gets run over way too often... the other night only noticed one bad one but he still needs to be harder on the puck on the boards and in the corners.

Edited November 25 by North Buffalo

[Night Train]

On 11/23/2024 at 9:48 AM, Big Guava said:

 

For those who constantly want to use Power as a whipping boy I think it's time you probably stop seeing what you want to see and start seeing what's actually there. 

What's there can be good and bad.

I do like his passing at times.  Yet giveaways have hurt him too often and his outright refusal to move out opponents in front of our goalie is galling. Just stands there watching.

A player his size should fear no one. He doesn't need a spokesperson explaining his shortcomings. I hope it improves under Lindy. 

 

[JohnC]

15 hours ago, dudacek said:

 

So many things he does well seem to get missed because of his lack of edge. The idea that a player who brings so many good elements needs to be sat in favour of a Bryson or Gilbert or Ryan Johnson is unfathomable to me.

You noted the underlying reason why some people have a less than sterling view of his game. He's not a thumper and never will be. A lot of people have this stereotypical view that because he is big (although lean right now) that he should play a more physical style of hockey. That's simply not his game. As you point, the things he does do well at demonstrably override the things that he is not adept at from a cost/benefit tabulation. In a few years, he is going to be a top echelon defenseman and an anchor player for us. We are very fortunate to have him and Dahlin on the blueline unit. Byram is starting to look comfortable and is coming on. And just maybe in the future Samuelsson will get healthy, regain his confidence and be a piece of a very good unit. 

[ska-T Chitown]

On 11/23/2024 at 2:27 PM, ska-T Chitown said:

At this risk of a little hyperbole - pair him with a good solid stay-at-home type and he will be a nightmare for other teams.

@xzy89c1 - you gonna contribute to the conversation or just fly by with vomit emojis?