The 2023 NHL All-Star Game is right around the corner. Tage Thompson will be there, but Rasmus Dahlin deserves to join his Buffalo Sabres teammate.
We will see three players join each of the four All-Star teams for the big game in Sunrise, Florida. And Rasmus Dahlin showed last night (and all season) that he deserves to be one of those players.
In the big win against the Minnesota Wild, Dahlin was on fire, scoring five points, two goals, and three assists. He also scored the pivotal game-tying goal that sent the contest into overtime, where Victor Olofsson sunk the game-winner thanks to an assist from Peyton Krebs. The win marked the Sabres third overtime W in an eight-day span that started last Saturday against the Boston Bruins.
Dahlin deserves to represent the Buffalo Sabres with Tage Thompson
Dahlin’s numbers have been nearly off the charts this season. In 36 games, he has 44 points, 12 goals, and 32 assists, putting him on pace to set a new career high in points. And if he keeps up his current run, Dahlin will finish the season with 99 points, 27 goals, and 72 assists.
His points total is the fourth-highest among defensemen in the NHL, and his five-point outing was the highest for a Sabres defenseman since 1989, when Phil Housley accomplished the feat. Speaking of Housley, he was the only Buffalo Sabres defenseman to score 200 career points faster than Dahlin in franchise history.
Given his remarkable output in points, plus his sound defensive play, Dahlin should be a shoo-in to join another skater and a goaltender to represent the Atlantic Division. With Buffalo being such a small market and the Sabres still not an elite hockey team or even holding one of the two wild card spots at the moment, it will be tough for Dahlin to win the fan vote.
But he definitely has the numbers in his favor. And that just might be enough for the 22-year-old to convince the fans to vote him in.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
Article Source: Observations: ‘Special’ night for Sabres ends with Victor Olofsson’s goal in OT by Lance Lysowski
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