Dahlin nets a pair of goals in intra-squad scrimmage

The Sabres concluded their first weekend of practice with an intra-squad scrimmage on Sunday morning, offering players a taste of game-like action before their preseason schedule kicks off on Monday night. They played with a running clock of 45 minutes in front of a mostly-filled house at Harborcenter.
That left plenty of time for Rasmus Dahlin to make an impression. The defenseman continued to show the promise he displayed at the Prospects Challenge, netting a pair of goals from low in the offensive zone to lead his team to a 6-1 victory.
"I just think his timing's really impeccable," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "He jumps into the play at the right time. When he beats a guy, he moves the puck right away and gets it up nice. Overall, I've just liked the way he's developed so far in this camp."

The goals drew reactions from the crowd, but Dahlin offered more than just scoring. He once again showed his ability to find passing lanes without hesitation and picked his spots well when it came to joining the rush.
These are all abilities that fellow defenseman Lawrence Pilut has become accustomed to, having played as Dahlin's opponent in the Swedish Hockey League.
"He's an amazing player," Pilut said. "He's going to be great. Just watching him out there today, he does some stuff you're like, you have to blink twice [to know] that it's real, you know? He's going to be a great player. Playing against him is always hard because you never know where he's going to go."
Jeff Skinner, Rasmus Ristolainen and Scott Wilson were also among the goal-scorers for the winning blue team. More so than the results, Housley was watching to see how players reacted to game situations after back-to-back days of intense, 90-minute practice sessions.
"I just like the competition," Housley said. "Obviously, it's the third day of camp, it's almost like that hump day where they've had two really tough days of practice. I think you could see they're a little tired at times. But just mainly getting them into game condition.
"You can prepare yourself, but once you get into the bump and grind it's a different situation. I was really pleased with their effort."
The Sabres will begin their preseason schedule with back-to-back games, beginning in Columbus on Monday night. Housley said the roster for that game is still being determined, but it will likely be a mix of the two teams that competed on Sunday.
Here are more notes from Sunday's scrimmage.

Pilut impresses

Pilut is another defenseman looking to make the transition from the SHL to North America, and he's looked the part through three days of camp. On his very first shift, the 22-year-old was extending possession down low on the forecheck, which led to a scoring chance.
"I think he's done a terrific job and it goes back to the Prospects Challenge," Housley said. "… He's been terrific. I really like his poise with the puck. He has a very strong threshold, even at the blue line in the offensive zone. He's been a pleasant surprise."
Pilut was the SHL's Defenseman of the Year last season, when he tallied a career-high eight goals and 38 points. He feels he's already adjusting to the smaller North American ice, and he's showed a knack for getting shots through to the net.
"It's always been part of my game to try and get pucks through to the net, always," he said. "I felt like last year I worked on it a lot and it's just been better and better. My main focus is just to get the puck to the net, so the forwards can work on it and try to get it in."

Larsson's offseason is paying off

Johan Larsson is looking to keep hold of his spot in the Sabres' lineup, with the amount of internal competition higher than it's been at past training camps. He's impressed thus far, which Housley said is the result of a productive summer.
"He's come into camp in really good shape, probably the best shape that he's been in," Housley said. "It's good to see that he took the words the right way at the end of the year, but he's been really good so far in camp."
Larsson was tenacious and physical during Sunday's scrimmage. His net-front presence was a key factor for the blue team's offensive output.
"I just feel that his upper body's gotten a lot stronger, a lot more power in his lower body, and you could see it," Housley said. "He's first on the puck. He's a great forechecker. A lot of those goals we scored, he was in front of the net as a great net-front presence. It was great to see him contribute."

UPL assigned to Sudbury

The Sabres assigned goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to Sudbury, where he'll begin his first North American season in the OHL. Michael Houser has been added to the training camp roster after signing an AHL contract with Rochester on Tuesday.

Medical Report

Conor Sheary and Zach Bogosian were held from the scrimmage for maintenance days, Housley said. In both cases, the coach said their absence was precautionary.