We've seen that passing acumen from O'Reilly many times with the man advantage this season, often with Eichel on the receiving end. Watch this pass from the third period of Buffalo's home loss to Carolina on Dec. 22, when O'Reilly faked a drop-back pass before feeding Eichel for a one-time opportunity that was stopped by Cam Ward.
"First of all I think the power play starts in the faceoff circle, and he's one of the best in the League," Eichel said. "You see the play he makes last night, he adds a whole new dynamic. [He's a] left shot on the other side, creative, makes a lot of good plays, he's strong with a puck so he's a huge piece for our power play. He'd be a huge piece for any power play."
It's not always a flashy, highlight-reel pass that shows O'Reilly's effectiveness. Look at the one power play that the Sabres didn't score on in Chicago, when the top unit kept the puck in the offensive zone for the final 1:20. O'Reilly touched the puck seven times after carrying it into the zone on that possession, cycling zone like the second hand on a clock.
In that 1:20 span alone, O'Reilly saved the puck at the blue line in the top left corner, fielded a rebound below the left half way and made an immediate pass to Kyle Okposo in the high slot, caught a pass on the right doorstep and fed the puck across the crease to Sam Reinhart, and drew the defense in toward him above the right circle to free Eichel at the point.
The top unit ended up being out on the ice for the entirety of the two-minute power play.
"I was trying to control Ryan's minutes a little bit and that power play was in zone for 1:45," Bylsma said. "Almost the duration of time they were in zone largely because of his puck control and his puck distribution."
