Dahlin returns to practice, hasn't been ruled out for Saturday

Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin returned to practice Friday and has not been ruled out for tomorrow's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sabres coach Don Granato announced.
Dahlin skated with the team for the first time since missing the past three games with a lingering lower-body injury. He was placed on injured reserve yesterday, retroactive to February 24, to make room for Riley Stillman on the active roster.

"He had a really good skate yesterday," Granato said. "He stayed back with our medical guys that are here.
"…That was really positive. That was his first time back on the ice and it was as positive as could be."

Granato will receive feedback from the medical staff before making a decision about tomorrow's game.
"I don't know about tomorrow for a game, but I can't rule it out either until we get some more information after his response."
For Dahlin, the time off the ice has been tough as someone who wants to do whatever it takes to help the team win.
"It's been boring, to be honest. So, I'm very happy that I feel good now," Dahlin said.
"Like Donny said, we'll see how I feel in the morning. They're the ones who make the decisions. I've been pushing hard, and I've been taking every day seriously, so I feel good."

The Sabres' alternate captain wishes he could suit up every single game but emphasized playing it safe to be at his best for the team's remaining contests.
"It's been a few weeks, the same stuff going on. I had to take a step back to be smart about it, so we made the right decision," Dahlin said.

Here are more notes from Friday's practice at KeyBank Center.
1. Here's how the group lined up, with Dahlin skating on a pair with Kale Clague in his return.
| March 3 | | --- | | LW | C | RW | | 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 22 Jack Quinn | | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 24 Dylan Cozens | 29 Vinnie Hinostroza | | 77 JJ Peterka | 19 Peyton Krebs | 71 Victor Olofsson | | 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 17 Tyson Jost | 21 Kyle Okposo | | 74 Rasmus Asplund | | | | LD | RD | G | | 61 Riley Stillman | 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | | 25 Owen Power | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 31 Eric Comrie | | 78 Jacob Bryson | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | 41 Craig Anderson | | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 38 Kale Clague | |
2. Granato praised Jack Quinn, who has taken Alex Tuch's place on the Sabres' top line after Tuch was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury on February 26.
Granato expressed the importance of giving young guys like Quinn an opportunity to step up and gain experience through times of adversity.
"He's looked great," Granato said. "That's going to push Jack Quinn to the next level.
"He's looking better every day. He was probably one of our best players last night."
3. The Sabres return to KeyBank Center tomorrow as they play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a Saturday matinee.
As a reminder, this game was originally scheduled to be played on December 23. Fans can use their tickets from December for entry to Saturday's game.
The group will sport their goathead jerseys for Kids Takeover Day, with kids assuming the roles of reporter, in-arena host, PA announcer, and more. The first 5,000 kids in attendance will receive a Tage Thompson growth chart.
Tickets are available here.
Coverage on MSG begins at noon. The puck drops at 12:30 on MSG and WGR 550.