2025-26 Playoff Focus: Zach Benson (Game 1 vs. MTL)
Bennis the Menace
After bumping Zach Benson up and down the lineup throughout the season, Lindy Ruff may have struck gold by pairing the feisty playmaker with Josh Doan and Josh Norris in the playoffs. The 20-year-old’s chemistry with Doan, in particular, has delivered a degree of puck pursuit that the bench boss gushed about a few days ago:
“I think the biggest thing is that he’s just on the puck all the time. He’s like that insect that won’t go away. You know, you just keep swatting at it, but you just can’t quite get it, and it keeps landing on you. Benny is on the puck as good as anyone on this team.
I think him and Doaner are two of the best, and I think sometimes that can be really irritating to an opponent.”
Now guess which line was sent out to set the tone in Game 1 of Buffalo’s second-round series vs. Montreal.
On the night’s opening shift, Rasmus Dahlin flipped the puck into the OZ strong side in order for the winger to cook ASAP. Puck recovery —> drawn penalty —> near miss in the slot (more on that later):
While Benson didn’t dominate the entire game—the team sat on its lead in the third frame—his urgency was palpable in the first half. He’s got some of that undersized Logan Stankoven dawg in him insofar as he isn’t a straight-line burner, yet his instincts and puck pace enable him to buzz around the action nonetheless. A solid chunk of Buffalo’s attack stemmed from Habs turnovers, and he was front and center in that regard.
His dizzying activity bled into his possession game as well, where he leaned on one of his favorite tricks. The 2023 first-rounder could be the least known 10-and-2 merchant in the league, constantly flipping his hips to work unexpected evasive angles.
Benson’s mohawk trickery helped the team slice through the NZ, attack with pace and maintain control in Montreal’s end:
Through his dogged forechecking and nifty puck-carrying, he wouldn’t let the Habs exhale for a millisecond. It was attack, attack, attack in the first two periods. He kept coming at them in waves.
Another facet of his game that drags teams into deep water, which Ruff also shouted out in the presser linked above, is his net drive. For a 5’10”, 177-pound forward, he’s fearless, scratching and clawing for loose change despite a significant size disadvantage against the majority of defenders. On the PP, he snuck behind Montreal’s D-men to call dibs on a couple of rebounds. On the rush, he tore straight for the blue ice:
Although his decision-making in tight wasn’t perfect, his stubborn presence in the goalmouth made Montreal uncomfortable in an entirely different way than Tampa Bay did.
Lightning players either harnessed their skill to produce a stream of mid-range looks or swiveled off to the side of the crease for a tap-in. True congestion was scarce. The Sabres, by contrast, flooded Jakub Dobes’ line of sight and lugged the puck right up to his front door to start Game 1. They rattled his cage from such close range that he was knocked off rhythm.
Rather than probing for opportunities on the fringes, they punched Montreal in the mouth in hopes of making their own luck.
The bounces arrived early for Benson:
Four-and-a-half minutes in, Lane Hutson (MTL 48) tumbles to the ice and grants the Sabres a 2-on-1. Pretty much the worst-case scenario for the road underdog. Adding salt to the wound is the fact that Benson is far more than a high-motor agitator. He’s a gifted passer who thrives on split-second reads.
In this case, his pump convinces Noah Dobson (MTL 53) of an immediate action and compels the RD to slide. Outwait the prone blueliner —> freebie for Doan.
Later in the first period, PP2 is called upon to boost an ailing man advantage (dead last in Round 1). Josh Anderson’s (MTL 17) pass breakup creates a scramble in the guts of the ice, Doan muscles the puck off Hutson’s skate and Benson’s improvisational talent catches Dobes against the grain. A great look becomes a GLORIOUS one. 2-0:
Holding a 4-1 edge midway through the contest, the Sabres eased off and ultimately prevailed by two. If they’re to establish a 2-0 series lead, they’d be wise to stay on the gas vs. a high-powered Habs group.
This has the makings of a freewheeling matchup, so Buffalo’s tempo must win out at the point of attack.
Benson demonstrated on Wednesday that his line is prepared to lead that charge. The puck pace, the elusiveness, the net drive, the crafty playmaking. As blasphemous as it might sound to a divisional rival, the parallels to a certain Little Ball of Hate are intensifying with every passing contest. The rest of the East is praying that he never quite reaches that final form.
On the night, he registered 2 assists, conceded the second-lowest xGA on the team and it outscored Montreal 1-0 at 5-on-5.
Here are the full highlights: