Buffalo Sabres indicate they are not fully reliant on Tage, Dahlin

Nov 23, 2022; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner (53) works the puck to score a goal in the second period as St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (72) defends at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2022; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner (53) works the puck to score a goal in the second period as St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (72) defends at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Sabres enjoyed an onslaught of goals last night, but neither Tage Thompson nor Rasmus Dahlin put up a single point. 

In last night’s win over the St. Louis Blues, Rasmus Dahlin created a remarkable play to give the Buffalo Sabres a 2-1 lead early in the second period. Dahlin stole the puck and located J.J. Peterka. The Sabres winger did the bulk of the work, outpacing everyone into the offensive zone, before giving the puck up to Vinnie Hinostroza, who, in turn, relayed it to Dylan Cozens, who did the rest.

Before Hinostroza even passed the puck, I knew how this one was going to end. And it was thanks to Dahlin making the play happen, as opposed to the star defensemen doing all, or most of the work himself. And it was a massive sigh of relief, indicating that the Sabres don’t need to rely fully on the hot sticks of Dahlin, or the budding star in Tage Thompson.

Buffalo Sabres scored six with zero points coming from Tage or Dahlin

Last night’s game could serve as a turning point for the Sabres, considering how hot the sticks were from the likes of Jack Quinn, Jeff Skinner, and Alex Tuch, all of whom logged two points. Victor Olofsson, who has been relatively quiet, did what he does best: Sneaking into and scoring from the right circle on the power play. 

Other names that don’t appear on the scoring sheet every game, like Casey Mittelstadt, J.J. Peterka, and Hinostroza, got involved. Overall, it was a team effort that indicated the Sabres don’t need to fully rely on Tage’s and Dahlin’s sticks to find the back of the net.

Instead, the two star players can help out in other ways, like creating opportunities for others to follow through on. And it’s exactly what happened last night. Let’s hope to see a more equal scoring distribution from here on out.

(Statistics provided by NHL.com/Sabres)

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