Benny on the break
During a second-period penalty kill, Benson pursued a loose puck into the neutral zone but couldn’t outskate two Stars.
Well, later in the same penalty, he had enough gas left in the tank for a clean breakaway and his 13th goal of the season – and the first of his career shorthanded. The Sabres finish the season with 11 shorthanded goals, second most in the NHL behind Carolina (12).
“I wanted to do that (move) when I realized I was in alone,” Benson said. “I’ve tried it a few times on [Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen], and it’s clicking at 100 percent on Upie, so I thought I’d give it a try in the game.”
With Buffalo resting several regulars and dressing only 11 forwards, Benson double-shifted for much of the night and skated a career-high 24:22. Like Norris, he’ll enter the playoffs on a hot streak, with 15 points (6+9) in his last 16 games.
“I thought Benson had a real good game tonight. He was all over the place,” Ruff said. “… That secondary scoring is gonna be real important.”