20220321 Sharpen Up

The NHL Trade Deadline is upon us once again.
Buffalo has made one move already. Yesterday, they acquired a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft from the Florida Panthers for defenseman Robert Hagg.
The Sabres, meanwhile, picked up a 3-2 overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks last night thanks to Rasmus Dahlin's heroics to close out their Western Canadian road trip with four out of six possible points.
Here's what you need to know.

Looking back at last night

Mittelstadt, Dahlin notch two points in OT victory

From the Postgame Report, where Sabres.com's Jourdon LaBarber was on the scene:
Cody Eakin channeled his inner Rick Jeanneret, dropping a line fit for a Dominator once Rasmus Dahlin walked out of the interview room inside Rogers Arena.
"We are not worthy!" Eakin shouted, a playful but fitting poke at the Sabres defenseman following an effort that can only be described as dominant.
Dahlin put the finishing touches on said performance when he beat his man to the slot and sent a shot between the pads of goaltender Thatcher Demko in overtime, clinching a 3-2 victory for the Sabres over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
"It's one of those games where he does stuff that no one else can, I guess," his close friend Casey Mittelstadt said afterward. "It's just fun to sit there and watch him do it."

BUF@VAN: Dahlin rips home wrister in OT

POSTGAME: Dahlin

Sabres coach Don Granato joked to the team postgame that Dahlin should have scored sooner. The defenseman seemed to have the puck on his stick in the offensive zone for much of the 22:50 he skated, during which the Sabres earned a 24-14 edge in shot attempts.
He weaved his way down low into the offensive zone often, including on the play where he retrieved a loose puck behind the Vancouver net and set up a Jeff Skinner goal in front. He connected on no-look stretch passes. His breakouts were as creative and carefree as ever.
"I was kind of feeling it today, to be honest," he said. "I'm just happy we got the win. It was a hell of a game from us. We battled through the whole 60 and a little bit more. That one felt really good."

POSTGAME: Granato

POSTGAME: Mittelstadt

Dahlin could only smile when considering what the trip meant. The young Sabres are playing their best hockey of the season in late March, with 19 games left to grow after Monday's trade deadline.
"You can really see we're in every game," Dahlin said. "We have close games against the best teams in the league. It's great for us. It gives us a boost and now we can really start to become a really good hockey team."
Read the full recap here.

Deadline Day updates

Trade Deadline Mediawall

Kevyn Adams hopped on "The Instigators" with Brian Duff and Martin Biron late last week to discuss the organization's thought process heading into the deadline.
If you missed it, check it out here:

Kevyn Adams on 'The Instigators'

Buffalo has several unrestricted free agents on the roster including forwards Vinnie Hinostroza, Cody Eakin and John Hayden, defensemen Colin Miller, Will Butcher and Mark Pysyk, and goaltenders Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski.
The Sabres currently possess 10 picks in the 2022 NHL Draft, including three in the first round and two in the sixth round. The pick they acquired for Hagg originally belonged to Calgary.
For news from around the league, keep tabs on NHL.com's Trade Tracker page, which you can find here.

Speaking of 'We Are Not Worthy'

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