Jordan Greenway has been mostly invisible for the Buffalo Sabres so far this season, which isn’t easy considering he’s a 6-foot-6 winger who plays important minutes on the penalty kill.

That changed in Tuesday night’s 3-2 overtime win against the Atlantic Division rival Ottawa Senators.

Greenway was all over the ice, finally using that large frame to win puck battles. Buffalo’s first goal was a perfect example of the 28-year-old veteran’s best hockey as he forced a turnover deep in the Sens’ zone, stickhandled out of danger and delivered a perfect backdoor pass to Bowen Byram.

“I thought Greenway, by far the best game of the year,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters. “I think his size down low, he dominated almost every shift he was out there. Playoff game, a lot of times the top guys get taken away, and then it’s that supporting act that wins the game for you.”

The 2015 second-round pick got a late start to the campaign after finishing his recovery from offseason surgery. He’s often looked sluggish across 21 appearances, and Buffalo has implemented an NBA-style approach of load management in an effort to maximize his impact when he does play.

Even his results on the PK, which are usually a strength, have been mediocre. He ranks 91st out of 197 NHL forwards who’ve played at least 20 shorthanded minutes in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) at 8.3, according to Natural Stat Trick.

That’s why it was crucial for Greenway, who received a bloated two-year, $8 million contract extension from former Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams last season, to have a standout performance like he did against Ottawa. New GM Jarmo Kekalainen is reviewing the roster for potential changes and the New York native may be among those on the chopping block.

For at least one night, however, Greenway showed he can still be a high-impact bottom-six contributor when his compete level is meeting the right standard.

Now it’ll be interesting to see whether the Boston University product, who’s tallied just four points (one goal and three assists) this season, can build off that impressive showing when the Blue and Gold return from the league’s three-day Christmas break.

Meanwhile, let’s dive into the latest edition of our Sabres player grades series after Buffalo extended its much-needed winning streak to seven games.

Bowen Byram delivers his best game with the Buffalo Sabres in a Dec. 23 win over the Ottawa Senators
Sabres player grades

Player

Grade (1-10)

Bowen Byram

9.5

Jordan Greenway

8.5

Beck Malenstyn

8

Alex Lyon

8

Noah Ostlund

7.5

Josh Dunne

7

Mattias Samuelsson

6

Zach Benson

6

Owen Power

5.5

Ryan McLeod

5.5

Rasmus Dahlin

5

Alex Tuch

5

Zach Metsa

4.5

Jack Quinn

4.5

Josh Norris

4

Tage Thompson

3

Josh Doan

2.5

Michael Kesselring

2

Peyton Krebs

1.5

Buffalo Player of the Game: Bowen Byram

Tuesday’s game represented everything the Sabres thought they were getting when they acquired Byram in a March 2024 trade with the Colorado Avalanche. He was constantly jumping into the rush to create looks for both himself and teammates. He also played over two minutes on the penalty kill.

Along with the tap-in goal on the beautiful first-period pass from Greenway, the defenseman scored the overtime winner on a knuckle puck that fooled Senators goalie Linus Ullmark.

Buffalo has never been a perfect fit for the 24-year-old Canadian blueliner since the team already has Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power leading its defense corps. That’s evidenced when the former Avs standout is asked to play the bumper position on the power play.

That lack of an ideal role has impacted Byram’s production, and he’d probably still be better off going to a team where he’d have a firm top-four lineup spot and be allowed to serve as a PP quarterback.

That said, Byram has started to find a groove in recent weeks after a lackluster start to the campaign, and it’s one of the main reasons for the Sabres’ surge up the East standings.

Sabres quick hits
The Sabres’ fourth line, featuring Greenway, Beck Malenstyn and Josh Dunne, had a great night. They brought terrific energy and drove play every time they were on the ice.
Alas, the same can’t be said for Buffalo’s top line. Tage Thompson, Josh Doan and Peyton Krebs couldn’t get anything going. Krebs simply doesn’t bring enough offensive value to spend extensive time atop the lineup card, but Ruff is in a tough spot since the other lines are playing well.
Noah Ostlund continues to impress with an elite tip in the slot for the Sabres’ second goal.
Alex Tuch played a solid all-around game but he took a bad penalty in the final minutes of regulation. He’s lucky it didn’t cost the Blue and Gold two points.
Another poor outing for Michael Kesselring, who’s struggled with injury issues and lackluster performance since joining Buffalo in the offseason. The expectation is he’ll eventually round into form, but it’d be nice to see some signs of progress soon.
The Sabres (18-14-4), who sit two points behind the Florida Panthers (20-14-2) for the final wild-card spot in the conference at the holiday break, are off until Saturday night (7 p.m. ET) when they’ll welcome the Boston Bruins (20-17-1) to the KeyBank Center.