Pg 54 PHB shows how a power is to be read, the wizard attack 1 in cloud of daggers(knives

) is the Name and level of the power
Pg 57 PHB under Attack
"Most
attack powers that deal damage require you to
make an attack roll. The “
Attack” entry specifies the
kind of attack you make and which of the target’s
defenses you check against."
A
missed attack never damages a minion, not missed
attack power
Pg 59 PHB
Many powers produce effects that take place regardless
of whether your attack roll succeeds, and other
powers have effects that occur without an attack roll
being required
Pg 58 PHB
Miss
Sometimes the dice are against you, and you miss
your target. Missing isn’t always the end of the story,
however. A miss can indicate a splash effect, a glancing
blow, or some other incidental effect of a power.
Some people have a hard time getting over the effect damage, one person in my group keeps going ??? when ever it is in effect
Just make sure you and your players are having fun with the game that is all that matters rules are there to be broken
hope this helped