Practice Report | Inside Dahlin's impactful return to the lineup

Rasmus Dahlin was readying to shoot the puck from the right side of the offensive blue line when he made eye contact with Zach Benson, stationed at the far post during the first period against Chicago on Friday.

Benson, noticing the glimpse from the Buffalo Sabres captain, knew to be ready.

“Once I saw him look, I knew he was gonna make it look like he wasn’t going to pass it, but it was going to end up right on my tape,” Benson said when recalling the play Saturday, following the Sabres’ practice at LECOM Harborcenter.

Dahlin himself planned on shooting before noticing Benson. In one fluid motion, he received the puck, angled toward Benson, and lofted a pass over the sticks of two defenders, which Benson tapped in for the game’s first goal.

The assist was one of six that Dahlin has accumulated in the Sabres’ last two games. The production is a testament to his physical health – he’s feeling as well as he has all season after taking seven games to recover the back injury that ailed him to start training camp – as well the time spent analyzing his own game while he was out.

Watching games from the press box, Dahlin realized he had been forcing plays prior to his injury. He’s let the game come to him since returning, and it’s felt slower as a result – a scary proposition for a three-time All-Star who already processes the game at an elite level.

As a result, the Sabres have spent the majority of Dahlin’s 5-on-5 ice time in the past two games in the offensive zone – and produced offense once they’re there. Their statistical advantages within those minutes 5-on-5 in the last two games are lopsided:

• 7-1 in goals scored
• 48-28 in shot attempts
• 15-3 in high-danger attempts (according to Natural Stat Trick)

It all starts in the defensive end, where Dahlin earned praise from coach Lindy Ruff as a “one-man breakout machine” following the game against Chicago. Ruff expanded on that point on Saturday.

“You get out of your end in four to five seconds, you get the play up ice,” Ruff said. “I think you saw our transition game was so much better. We didn’t spend that much time (in the defensive zone). … It makes a big difference whether it’s five to 10 times a game.”

Dahlin can use his skating to evade defenders and carry the puck away from defenders until he locates an outlet option:

He also possesses the composure and awareness to make subtle plays under pressure, evidenced by this play from the third period. With defenders reaching from the puck on both sides, he takes a short step forward, spins around and calmly banks a short pass to Peyton Krebs, who is nearby in support. The Sabres were out of their zone seconds later:

“We’re just trying to focus on tape-to-tape passes, honestly,” Dahlin said. “Trying to make the best play.”

Dahlin has taken on the role of facilitator once in the offensive zone. His six assists tied a franchise record for defensemen over a two-game span, which he now shares with Phil Housley, Brian Campbell, and Hannu Virta.

His assist on Benson’s goal mirrored the play he made to set up Jiri Kulich on Long Island three nights earlier, when he faked a shot and found Kulich at the back door:

Benson said he simply tries to find open ice and stay ready at all times when he shares the ice with Dahlin.

“It’s everything with him,” Benson. “He can juke at the line, he can look one way and pass it the other way. He’s just so good at selling shot and then making a play laterally.”

As he does breaking the puck of his own end, Dahlin uses his skating to draw attention and open passing seams on offense. It’s how he set up Alex Tuch’s first goal on Friday, when he received the puck at the point, carried it low to the right circle, and passed across to set up a Tage Thompson one-timer. Tuch was in front for the deflection.

“I know he might be looking like he’s going one-on-one up top,” Tuch said. “But he’s making the other team’s defensemen panic when he’s beating that guy and coming down and then putting pressure on guys.”

It’s all added up to a successful two games for the Sabres, who outscored the Islanders and Blackhawks by a combined margin of 13-3.

“He’s our leader,” Tuch said. “He’s the guy that’s gonna propel us forward into playing the right way and he’s been leading by example. It’s been great to see.”

Here’s more from Saturday’s practice.

News and notes

1. Nicolas Aube-Kubel (illness) and Mattias Samuelsson (maintenance) were both absent from the skate. Aube-Kubel is questionable for Sunday’s game in St. Louis, but Samuelsson is expected to play.

2. The Sabres departed after practice for their game against the Blues, which opens a four-game trip against Western Conference opponents.

Buffalo defeated St. Louis 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 14. The Sabres were without Thompson in that game, while the Blues were without top-line forward Robert Thomas.

“They’ve got a really talented top line,” Ruff said. “You got (Pavel) Buchnevich and you’ve got Thomas, you’ve got some guys that can really go up and down the ice. We really have to be aware of their rush game. And I think their power play is dangerous, too. So, we’re looking at a little different animal than I think the first time we played them, where I think they can be more dangerous offensively right now.”

Practice sound

Up next

The Sabres play the Blues on Sunday afternoon. Coverage on MSG begins at 2:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 3.