BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Sabres aren't exactly a huge threat.
With a 6-14-4 record, they rank last in the league in points and second to last in points percentage.
But as Dave Molinari wrote yesterday, the Penguins aren't taking the series lightly.
"Just because a team is going through a time of struggle doesn't mean they don't have good players and competitive players," Mike Sullivan said Thursday. "On any given night, if you don't bring your 'A' game, you run the risk of getting beat."
One of the areas in which the Sabres have proved to be a challenge this season is on their power play.
The Sabres rank fifth in the league on the man advantage this season, operating at a 28.8 percent success rate. A third of the Sabres' 56 goals this season have come on the power play.
The Sabres' power play is so good because they're especially strong at possessing the puck on the man advantage relative to the rest of the league. They're the best in the league at preventing shots attempts against on the power play by a significant margin, averaging just 7.01 shot attempts against per 60 minutes of ice time on the man advantage, because the other team just rarely has possession of the puck. For context, the Penguins have the second-worst rate of shot attempts against on the power play, allowing an average 21.08 per 60 minutes of ice time.
That possession then translates to more shots on goal for them. They average 58.81 shots on goal per 60 minutes of power play time, the fourth-best rate of power play shots in the league.
The Sabres will be without one of their threats on the power play this series in Jack Eichel, who is out with an injury for at least another 7-10 days. Of the Sabres' 19 power play goals, Eichel has been a factor in nine. He's scored one himself, recorded the primary assist on another, and recorded the secondary assist on seven more.
Even without Eichel, Sullivan insists that the Sabres' power play isn't to be taken lightly.
"Special teams is going to be an important aspect of the game," he said after Thursday's optional morning skate. "Both sides of the puck on their special teams, they're really strong. When you look at their power play, they just have a lot of dangerous threats. They have (Victor) Olofsson on that back side, that's really dangerous. They have Taylor Hall who can come off of that flank and really shoot the puck. They've got (Rasmus) Dahlin up top who is pretty good at quarterbacking it up top. They've got a dynamic power play."
MORE FROM THE MORNING SKATE
• Tristan Jarry will start.
• It was an optional skate, and there wasn't much turnout from the players who are actually expected to play tonight. John Marino, who missed practice Wednesday as as maintenance day, was on the ice.
All three goalies -- Jarry, Casey DeSmith, and taxi squad goaltender Max Lagace skated. They were joined by defensemen Marino, Juuso Riikola, Chad Ruhwedel, Yannick Weber, and Mark Friedman, and forwards Sam Lafferty, Anthony Angello, Mark Jankowski, Colton Sceviour, Freddy Gaudreau, Evgeni Malkin, and Teddy Blueger.
