Zach Benson scored on three shots Sunday and picked up his first career playoff point as the Sabres rolled past the Bruins 6-1 in Game 4. He added two penalty minutes, two hits and a plus-2 rating in a win that turned early in the third period.
Benson’s goal was the third in a span of 4:58 to open the period, part of the burst that broke the game open in the first-round series against Boston. Over four outings against the Bruins, he has eight shots on net, six hits, 16 penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating, a line that shows he has been active even before the scoring arrived.
The point mattered because it came in a playoff game, not a late-season cleanup shift, and it came from a player who has been willing to mix it up physically while trying to find his footing offensively. Benson’s work through the series has given Buffalo some energy at even strength, and now the numbers say he is beginning to add production to it.
What comes next may hinge on Jason Zucker, who left Sunday’s contest early. If Zucker cannot go in Tuesday’s Game 5, Benson could see more minutes, giving him a bigger stage in a series that is still being played with pressure on both sides.
