‘He’s the little dog that everyone’s scared of’: Sabres teammates praise Zach Benson’s tenacious play

One of the more underappreciated players on the Buffalo Sabres roster is getting props from his teammates.

In Game 6 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals, Sabres forward Zach Benson played a big role in the team’s 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins, clinching the team’s first series win in 19 years. The 20-year-old potted a goal and an assist in the game, potting the insurance marker that gave Buffalo a two-goal lead in the third.

One of the big talking points following the game was how Benson drew such ire from the Bruins that veteran defenseman Charlie McAvoy snapped late in regulation, viciously slashing Benson across the midsection, resulting in McAvoy receiving a five-minute major penalty for slashing and a game misconduct.

While the rest of the hockey world is starting to learn more about Benson’s style of play – an exceptional playmaker who has the ability to antagonize the opposition – it’s nothing new to his teammates, who recognize the importance of the Chillwack, B.C. native, especially in the playoffs.

Following the win over the Bruins on Friday, forward Josh Doan stated that Benson is the type of player who likes to play above his weight class.

“He’s the little dog that everyone’s scared of, that for some reason thinks he’s really tough,” Doan said. “And we kind of allow him to do that.”

Tage Thompson reiterated that statement, but even while being a pest, Benson is a strong contributor to the statsheet as well.

“He gets under the best players’ skin,” Benson said. “Now, he came through in a big moment for us there with a goal.”

Benson scored two goals and three points in the series against Boston. It came after the best performance of his three-year NHL tenure, where he set career highs in goals (13), assists (30) and points (43).

With the Sabres advancing to the second round, they still have to wait and see who they’ll play in the Atlantic Division Final. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens will settle who moves on Sunday night in Game 7, the final game of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.