'You're going to be taking a beating' | Doan's net-front tenacity has led to career-best start

Josh Doan’s playing style has embodied the mantra ‘gritty not pretty.’

The 23-year-old has built himself an office in front of opposing nets, muscling for position and preparing for shots to redirect. It’s the kind of style that’s allowed him to break through in his third NHL season.

Following his two-assist effort against Winnipeg on Monday, Doan is one point shy of the career-high 19 he scored with Utah last season. He’s already set a new career high with eight goals, and he’s done it in half as many games as he played last season.

“I think his tenacity is right at the top of our group of forwards,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “That's a great quality for a young player."

Doan has showcased that approach a myriad of times this season. It was how he scored his first goal as a Sabre, when a Tage Thompson shot deflected off his leg and into the net.

More recently, it’s how he helped get the scoring started for Buffalo in Monday’s 5-1 win over Winnipeg as a Josh Norris pass deflected off Doan’s stick and into the crease where Jason Zucker buried it on the power play.

For Doan, getting to the net-front starts with a tenacious approach to working through defensive traffic.

“I think in this league, it’s finding areas to get speed,” Doan told Sabres.com. “Guys grab and hold and slow you down a little bit better, and it makes it a little bit harder to get through traffic.

“... The way teams are playing defensively, everyone's man on man or 1-1-3 up the ice, so you have to find ways to get to the net front and create rebounds and chances for yourself, but also for your line mates and that's been something that's led to the success.”

Doan’s approach has made him a mainstay in the offensive zone. The Sabres own lopsided advantages in shot attempts (56.37 percent), scoring chances (56.91 percent), and expected goals (59.52 percent) when he’s been on the ice at 5-on-5 this season. All three marks lead the team, according to Natural Stat Trick.

He’s frequently been a net-front presence on the top power-play unit, having tallied two goals and three assists on the man advantage. He spent the offseason studying some of the game’s elite players in that area, such as Florida’s Sam Bennett.

Ruff describes Doan as having an elite motor, particularly below the faceoff dots where he often creates a turnover, distributes the puck and dashes to the net. Playing in front of the net comes at a cost, one his dad – longtime NHL forward Shane Doan – taught him he has to pay to find success.

“That's something that I've had since I was a kid,” Doan said. “It's been ingrained in me growing up with how my old man played, and the way that he wanted to play, and he's been a big part of that. For me this year is working with him on stuff like that and grinding through that process of, you're going to take a whack or two in front of that area. You got to be okay with that. If you want to score a certain amount of goals in this league, you're going to be taking a beating. That's just part of it and once you accept that, it makes it easier.”

Josh’s ascension to becoming Buffalo’s third highest scorer behind Thompson and Alex Tuch and growing that tenacious style has taken time. He likened his first two NHL seasons to his early years with the USHL’s Chicago Steel, where he jumped from 14 points in his first season to 70 in his second.

He’s had to continue to find his footing at each step, from his college tenure at Arizona State to his early days in the AHL. Talks with his dad and his workmanlike, two-way approach have carried him through to today.

“it's one of those things where you gotta have confidence in yourself and not get low on yourself,” he said. “I think there's lows and highs. ... I think that's what I've done a good job of this year.”

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

Lineup notes

Jordan Greenway (load management) was absent after playing in the win over the Jets. Colten Ellis had his own net, suggesting he could get the start Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Here's how the group lined up in full:

Injury updates

Defenseman Michael Kesselring has resumed skating on his own but is not expected to join the Sabres on their 12-day, six-game road trip.

With only six defensemen currently on the roster, Ruff said he expects the team will make a defensive recall before the Western Canada portion of the trip, which begins following Friday’s game in Winnipeg.

Ruff also announced that Tyson Kozak is dealing with an injury that occurred late in Saturday’s game at Minnesota. Kozak could play through the injury, Ruff said, but the team’s abundance of forwards allowed him to sit out Monday’s game.

“He’s nursing a little bit of an injury,” Ruff said regarding the scratch. “I like him in the lineup. This isn’t about not liking what Tyson has done. I like what he’s done. I like how hard he plays.”

Up next

The Sabres begin their road trip on Wednesday against the Flyers with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on TNT.