'It's special to watch' | Benson continues dynamic preseason with game-winning goal vs. Columbus

Peyton Krebs recalled the quick impression Zach Benson made upon his arrival with the Winnipeg ICE back in 2021, when Krebs was a veteran leader on the junior club and Benson was just 15 years old.

Benson tallied 20 points – 10 goals and 10 assists – in just 24 games. That team was coached by former Sabres defenseman James Patrick.

“We weren't sure about him, me and Jeep,” Krebs deadpanned on Saturday. “And then all of a sudden watching him play, like, this guy's a player. I think he's only gotten better from there.”

Benson, now 18 and in his first training camp after being drafted by the Sabres with the 13th-overall pick this summer, has managed to make a similar impression this fall. He continued his dynamic preseason with an assist and the game-winning goal in Buffalo’s 4-3 victory over Columbus on Saturday.

Jeff Skinner added a pair of power-play goals and Henri Jokiharju also scored for the Sabres, who fought back after falling behind 3-0 early in the second period. Devon Levi played the full game in goal and made 26 saves.

It was Benson’s ability to find open ice on the power play that helped fuel the comeback. Playing the bumper position on the top unit – a new spot for him, he admitted afterward – he lunged at a rebound in front of the net and tapped it to Kyle Okposo, who set up Skinner’s tying goal in the third.

When the Sabres returned to the power play later in the period, Benson initiated a give-and-go with Okposo and dashed to the front of the net. Okposo delivered a between-the-legs return feed and Benson buried it to put the Sabres ahead with 5:46 remaining.

Don Granato attributed the plays to two factors – Benson’s instinctual sense for the game, which the Sabres coach has praised throughout camp, and an ability to use his 5-foot-9 frame to his advantage in terms of slipping between coverages.

“Lots of intangibles beyond skill,” Granato said. “Compete. Sense, feel. Situational awareness. He’s a very, very intelligent hockey player.”

Benson’s mere presence in the lineup on Saturday was a testament to how well he has played this preseason. Granato said earlier in the week that the plan entering camp was for Benson to play at least three games and evaluate from there. He’s played four, and has two goals and two assists.

He was back on a line with Skinner and Tage Thompson against the Blue Jackets, which is where he opened camp and has spent much of his practice time. On one of the trio’s first shifts of the night, Benson battled Adam Boqvist in front of the net and was able to deflect a shot from Skinner on goal. When Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins turned the shot away, Benson retrieved it on the forecheck and sent a hard wrist shot off the post.

Krebs was asked why he thinks Benson has been able to acclimate so quickly to playing alongside – and against – experienced NHL players.

“I think his work ethic, number one,” Krebs said. “He’ll hunt pucks, he'll do anything he can to make plays, and then his hockey IQ. To play with those guys, you’ve got to be able to see the ice and he finds them wherever he can. It’s special to watch and exciting to see, for sure.”

The Sabres have two preseason games remaining and just under two weeks of practice before their regular-season opener on Oct. 12. Benson has earned the opportunity for further evaluation in the meantime, Granato said postgame.

Because of the transfer agreement between the NHL and CHL, Benson can either make the Sabres roster out of camp or return to his junior team in Wenatchee, Washington.

“Your dream and goal is to play in the NHL,” he said. “I know my job right now is just to keep pushing, keep playing my best. That’s kind of my main thing, just keep getting better every day.”

Here’s more from a comeback win over Columbus.

How it happened

PERIOD 1

The Sabres went into the locker room down 2-0 after Patrik Laine and Justin Danforth put Columbus on the board.

Kirill Marchenko found Laine in the slot for a quick shot that trickled under Levi. Less than three minutes later, Danforth tucked one behind Levi to extend the lead.

Benson and Alex Tuch led the Sabres with two shots each in the period.

PERIOD 2

The Blue Jackets extended their lead 23 seconds in after David Jiricek split the defense and dished a pass over to Laine for his second goal of the game.

Skinner cut the deficit with a power-play goal with 9:32 remaining in the period. Erik Gudbranson blocked the initial shot, but Skinner recovered his rebound and put it away to get the Sabres on the scoresheet.

With 36 seconds left, Dmitri Voronkov bumped into Levi, causing a swarm of Sabres to come to his defense. Dylan Cozens walked away with the only penalty, a two-minute minor for roughing.

PERIOD 3

Jokiharju pinched in to create a 2-on-1 opportunity for the Sabres 2:03 in. He scored from the right circle after a cross-ice pass from Victor Olofsson.

Skinner tied the score at 3-3 with his second power-play goal of the game, assisted by Okposo and Benson.

With 5:46 to go in the period, Buffalo’s top power-play unit did it again as Benson scored in front of the net to give the Sabres their first lead of the day. Levi made a flurry of saves in the final minutes to secure the win.

What we learned

1. Granato saw value in two aspects of the Sabres’ comeback – which they pulled off without Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson in their lineup, among others.

The first was their response after Voronokov bumped Levi late in the second period, sending the rookie goaltender to the ice. The five Sabres on the ice – Cozens, Skinner, Okposo, Riley Stillman and Jeremy Davies – were all quick to join an impassioned scrum in the corner, with Cozens at the heart of it.

“I even mentioned after the second period that I loved the emotion,” Granato said. “It’s only preseason, but to have the emotion and to get charged up is great. You’ve just got to be able to reel it in and focus.”

Their ability to respond – both to the adversity of the early 3-0 deficit and to the emotion of the skirmish – was the other area that left Granato impressed.

“Guys had to respond to some pressure,” he said. “Nobody likes to fall behind in their own building, preseason or not. These are guys who have a lot of pride, and they were just about to get in their own heads before they elevated there.”

2. Jokiharju scored for the second straight game, this time pinching into the right faceoff circle before burying a well-placed wrist shot below the glove of Merzlikins. He scored on a shot from the point during Buffalo’s game against Toronto on Wednesday.

The offense, Granato said, is part of a concerted effort by the 24-year-old defenseman to be assertive in all areas of the ice.

“What you saw tonight, jumping into the play, is an offensive way to be assertive,” Granato said. “But we want him to be assertive everywhere on the ice, more assertive. When he sees a situation where he can assert, we want him to do that.”

Jokiharju skated a team-high 23:02 and finished with five shot attempts, two shots on goal, and two blocked shots.

3. Brandon Biro – like Benson, a young player competing to make the jump to the NHL – left the game during the first period after taking a shot to the face that left him badly cut above his upper lip. He received stitches and returned for the second period wearing a face shield.

The 25-year-old had 51 points in 49 games for Rochester last season before a season-ending injury sidelined him for the Amerks’ playoff run. He has been a standout performer in the preseason, with a goal and two assists in three games entering tonight plus a shootout winner.

“You know him. You know his reputation. If it wasn’t the doctor keeping him out of the game, you knew he was going to be back,” Granato said. “That’s his character. He played very well upon return even with a full face shield on.”

4. Okposo and Alex Tuch both played their first games of the preseason. Okposo had three assists.

Up next

Buffalo closes out its home-and-home series with Columbus on Wednesday as the Sabres visit Nationwide Arena for a 7 p.m. puck drop. The game will be streamed live on Sabres.com (Columbus feed with Blue Jackets commentators) while Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the radio call on WGR 550.