'Special player' | Dahlin leads Sabres to win in Chicago with 3-point outing

CHICAGO – Rasmus Dahlin told himself to simply play to his instincts and compete when he took the ice inside United Center on Sunday.

The fruits of that approach: one goal, two assists, five shots, and three hits in 28:59 – all crucial to the Buffalo Sabres’ 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

“As long as we win, I’m happy,” he said afterward.

Dahlin crept into the slot and roofed a shot for the Sabres’ first goal. He delivered a deceptive pass on the power play to set Jeff Skinner up with an open net for their second.

Finally, on his 26th shift of the night – and with the Blackhawks having erased two deficits – Dahlin sent the puck up the ice to initiate a sequence that would end with Erik Johnson driving wide to the net and roofing a shot for the game-winning goal.

Johnson, like Dahlin, was a No. 1 draft pick. He has played with a Norris Trophy winner in Cale Makar and a Stanley Cup-winning captain in Gabriel Landeskog – all of which adds credibility to the effusive praise Johnson had for Dahlin postgame.

“I have all the time in the world for Ras,” Johnson said. “I love him. He’s a great kid, unreal player. Wants to win, does all the right things. Future captain of the team for sure. To see him take charge like he has – he’s been good all year and now the last couple games I think you’ve seen him be great.

“… Special player. I think he’ll probably have a Norris on his books when his career’s done, and I hope he does and he deserves it. I really enjoy playing with him. He’s a wonderful person.”

The Sabres entered Sunday having lost three consecutive games as they adjust to the absence of Tage Thompson, who is considered week to week with an upper-body injury. Dahlin made a concerted effort to drive play offensively against Winnipeg on Friday and again in Chicago.

“He’s so good defensively,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “I don’t want to swing to his offense and not acknowledge that. He’s been incredible as a defender for us. But yes, we need him to push the pace on the offensive end and he’s done that the last couple.”

The Sabres were admittedly not at their best Sunday. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made a breakaway stop on Ryan Donato minutes before Dahlin opened the scoring 4:53 into the contest. The Blackhawks tied the game on a Taylor Raddysh deflection in the second period.

Dahlin helped put the Sabres back in front with his second-period pass to Skinner on the power play – a shot fake from the point that fooled goaltender Petr Mrazek and left Skinner simply having to adjust his angle to score into a wide-open net. The Blackhawks responded again, this time on a Connor Bedard rush that created a rebound for Philipp Kurashev.

Chicago finished with a 26-20 advantage in shots and, after Johnson put the Sabres ahead in the third period, made an aggressive push to tie the game with Mrazek pulled for the final 2:13.

But the Sabres held on, which to Dahlin – more than the points or the ice time – was what mattered.

"It’s a big win for us," he said. "Get back on the winning side and we found a different way to win, which gains confidence and more swag for the next game.”

Here’s more from the win in Chicago.

1. Dahlin surpassed Rasmus Ristolainen for the sixth-most career points by a defenseman in Sabres history with 248. Jerry Korab ranks fifth on the list with 283.

2. Granato credited Johnson – more known for his work on defense in this late stage of his career – with recognizing that the Sabres needed an offensive boost in the third period.

“He knew we needed somebody to step up and he went a little bit out of character,” Granato said. “… EJ knew he needed to be aggressive, and he also knew that was the opportunity to do it.”

Casey Mittelstadt was working alongside Alex Tuch to maintain possession along the right boards on the offensive blue line as Johnson took the ice on the opposite side.

Mittelstadt sent a pass across to Johnson, who drove wide around defenseman Seth Jones before turning toward the net and lifting his shot past Mrazek.

“Thankfully it was able to go in,” Johnson said. “We weren’t at our best tonight. You’re not always going to be at your best and you’ve got to find a way to win the game. We were able to do that and that was a big game for us with a couple days off here before the last game of our road trip.”

3. Zach Benson evaded a defender along the boards before delivering the pass to set up Dahlin’s first-period goal. The assist was Benson’s fourth of the season and second in as many games since returning from a lower-body injury on Friday.

Granato also gave credit on the play to Mittelstadt, who drove to the net to create extra time and space for Benson and Dahlin.

“We had a guy driving to the net which bought Benny a little extra time and he made the right decision,” Granato said.

4. Henri Jokiharju returned to the lineup after missing two games with an illness. The Sabres dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen with the addition of Jokiharju, who skated 11:14.

Up next

The Sabres conclude the road trip in Washington on Wednesday. Coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.