Man disadvantage in Buffalo. Sabres advance to 2nd round despite anemic power-play production

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 first playoff appearance in 15 years and has just 11 players with past postseason experience. “We’re still a young power play,” Ruff said. “The best power plays a lot of times are power plays that have been together.” Buffalo’s 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’t 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’ 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’s also a historical upside to Buffalo’s struggles. Of the six teams that won their series with lower power-play conversion rates, five reached the Stanley Cup Final, and two — Montreal (1993) and Boston (2011) — went to win the title. “I think the great thing is now we’re through the first series, and round two, it’s a whole new season,” said Tage Thompson, who led the team with 40 goals and 81 points in the regular season. “You can’t keep thinking about how it’s been going. Just try to improve it and get better and focus on the next opportunity,” Thompson added. “If we can get our power play going and start scoring some goals, it’ll help us take over games even more.” \\\_ AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report. \\\_ AP NHL: