Greenway's switch to center, leadership on penalty kill helped fuel win over Senators

Jordan Greenway roved the middle of the defensive zone, pointing to direct traffic as the Ottawa Senators worked the puck around in a desperate push for the tying goal.

The puck came high to defenseman Jakob Chychrun, positioned just inside the blue line. Greenway jumped up, closing the gap between him and the defenseman and dropping to one knee as Chychrun faked a slap shot.

Chychrun shuffled to his left, but Greenway stuck with him. The defenseman was forced to pull the trigger with 14 seconds remaining, sending a shot into the body of the Buffalo Sabres’ 6-foot-6 forward. Seconds later, Dylan Cozens scored into an empty net to put the finishing touches on a 5-3 win.

Sabres coach Don Granato lauded Greenway’s blocked shot following the win, while Greenway’s teammates awarded him the sword given to the player of the game.

“It’s what we got to do to win, right?” Greenway said. “I think it’s got to be something that everyone’s willing to do, and if we want to put some wins together and, you know, beat some of the good teams in this league, that’s what we’re gonna have to do.

“We’re gonna have to do things that aren’t the prettiest, you may not get all the credit for. Everyone wants to see guys scoring goals and pretty goals, this and that. But there’s a lot of things that you got to do to keep the puck out of your net. Yeah, I take pride in doing that, for sure.”

The final shift was a microcosm of the impact Greenway had on the win over the Senators and has had on the Sabres this season. He was both vocal and physical at a time when the Sabres were shorthanded, with the Senators having pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker.

Greenway finished the game having led Sabres forwards with 19:38 of ice time – a distinction he also earned in their previous two victories in Montreal and Pittsburgh, both of which he played battling an illness. He played 5:10 shorthanded, a key cog for a Sabres penalty kill that went 4-for-4.

This night added a new wrinkle – a position switch to center on a line with Zach Benson and Kyle Okposo. Greenway had not played center since his junior year at Boston University, but Granato saw elements in the forward’s game that suggested he would be up to the task.

“Wingers have to pick up a centerman’s responsibilities,” Granato explained. “… He might not have played the position, but I’ve watched him pick up those responsibilities without any effort whatsoever and stress. There’s no stress to it. No anxiety that he carries.”

Greenway’s ability to pick up those responsibilities is a testament to the various qualities that have made him one of the NHL’s most effective penalty killers this season, which also happens to be his first season with substantial shorthanded ice time: communication, preparation, and defensive commitment among them.

Greenway, despite having missed 12 games this season, ranks 20th among NHL forwards in shorthanded ice time at 92:01 and has been on the ice for just eight goals against. That averages out to 5.22 goals against per 60 minutes, the second-lowest mark among those 20 forwards (according to Natural Stat Trick).

Dylan Cozens has partnered with Greenway on the penalty kill of late, and Granato has seen marked improvement from Cozens in that area as a result. Cozens himself lauded Greenway’s communication and hockey sense as traits that have helped him.

“He’s a take-charge leader in preparation,” Granato said. “We’ll sit in the video room and go over it before the game. He talks and sends the right messages, and he commands when he’s on the ice. You can hear him in the stands talking to the three other penalty killers and informing them on the situation. So very, very high situational awareness through experience in that realm of penalty kill.”

The leadership element is an evolution of the player Granato described when the Sabres acquired Greenway at last season’s trade deadline. Granato, having coached Greenway as a teenager at the U.S. National Team Development Program, spoke of a smiling, positive demeanor off the ice.

“He’s always been influencing others in a positive way,” Granato said. “But his leadership, his confidence in what he’s doing has grown tremendously as he’s learned the game. He’s gained experience and hindsight and he’s gone through situations over and over through his career that now is very comfortable in and comfortable sharing with others.”

Here’s more from Friday’s practice at KeyBank Center.

1. Tage Thompson did not practice and was being evaluated for an injury after missing the final six minutes of the win over the Senators. He has not been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Vancouver Canucks.

“In the past, we’ve had situations like this with him, and you don’t know (if he’s going to play) and, boom, he’s ready to go,” Granato said. “So, he’s ultra-competitive. He’s played lots of games not at 100 percent and below. Tomorrow it could resolve.”

Rasmus Dahlin was also absent from practice for a maintenance day.

2. Greenway said he enjoyed the switch to center, a position he may seen more of moving forward.

“It’s nice coming out of your defensive zone with the puck with speed,” he said. “It allows you to create some more plays as you go into the zone on the rush. Defensively down low, I think the center has a little bit more of a responsibility, so there’s more work for me to do down there, which in my opinion is good for me.”

3. The Sabres host the Canucks at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 3:30.