In the meeting against the Red Wings, much of the offensive play went through Dahlin, especially in the opening two periods. Getting Dahlin more involved in the offense is something he and the Sabers wanted to bring about.
– I said after the last game that I thought his game was closer to what it needs to be. He went through a lot during camp with the injury, but he’s getting closer and closer to where he needs to be, says Sabers coach Lindy Ruff about Dahlin to NHL .com/sv.
Dahlin set a new personal best last season after accounting for 20 goals in 81 games (59 total points). His best scoring season so far in his NHL career came in 2022-23 when it was a whopping 73 points (15+58) in 78 games.
The Sabers are tied for third in the Metropolitan Division with nine points in nine games (4-4-1) after beating the Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Red Wings in the span of a week. After opening the season with two straight losses against the New Jersey Devils in Prague in the NHL Global Series, the team has found form.
– We find ways to shut down matches now and that’s nice, says Dahlin. We play for 60 minutes and when we have the lead in the third period, we do a good job of closing the games. It has helped us and then it was really nice to get a power play goal tonight.
– It has been a learning process. You have to take care of the puck, and that’s exactly what we’re doing right now. We keep it out of the middle and then we cover shots and do everything we can. It feels good.
Against the Red Wings, Tage Thompson scored two goals and one assist. The Sabers also got a long-awaited power play goal in the game when Jason Zucker scored the team’s first numerically superior goal of the season.
Zucker, who came in over the summer on a one-year contract as a free agent, became the first Buffalo player to hit right on the power play this season. The Sabres’ power play has been an Achilles’ heel for the team during the opener. With an efficiency of only 3.9 percent after Saturday’s game, they are ranked last in the league.
– We have worked very hard during every training session, even off the ice we have talked to each other to try to find an identity for our power play, said Dahlin. It’s something we keep doing, but it’s been looking better every night and eventually it’s going to look really good.
The goal was also Zucker’s first in a Buffalo jersey, and he was praised by Thompson afterward.
