Zach Benson didn’t score a goal in the Buffalo Sabres’ first 11 games of the regular season.
It wasn’t the kind of start anyone would’ve drawn up for the young winger who became a Buffalo darling during his pestering playoff performance in the spring.
Benson entered this season with loads of hype. He got a new contract and was ready to deliver on his potential over the course of a full season.
But then Benson didn’t score a goal for 11 games. People noticed. He was the focus of an article by The Athletic analyzing the top players who have struggled scoring in the early going.
There are two things to take away from the fact, then, that Benson scored in game 12. He nabbed an empty-netter in a 2-0 Sabres win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. His drought is over.
Zach Benson Does Things His Way
The first point is that even as Benson hasn’t scored goals, he hasn’t changed his approach.
That even included on his empty-net goal itself, when Benson made it happen very much his way.
“Benson needed a goal in the worst way and finally got his first of the season with an empty-netter to finish off the win,” The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn wrote after the game. “The play was Benson at his best: The Sharks had the extra attacker on the ice as Benson was hounding the puck. When Sharks rookie Ivar Stenberg let his guard down for a moment, Benson swiped the puck away and scored falling down.”
That’s the picture at the top of this article, the moment after the puck went in, Benson triumphantly on the goal sheet.
Zach Benson Impact Stats
A player like Benson, with a relentless motor, will never be measured just in goals anyway.
Even without scoring goals early this season, Benson has helped the Sabres control games while he’s on the ice.
“He has been one of the Sabres’ most impactful forwards all season despite the scoring drought,” Fairburn writes. “During his five-on-five minutes, the Sabres have a 94-42 advantage in scoring chances along with 66 percent of the expected goals. The goal production will come.”
Those stats are ridiculously dominant. It’s clear that Buffalo is better with Benson on the ice.
The fact that it took him some time to actually find the net might show a little bit about potential growing pains for Benson, but not a lot — he’s still a hugely impactful player for the Sabres, goals or not.
Zach Benson Took 12 Games to Score a Goal — But This is Why Sabres Don’t Care