Former NHL player Paul Bissonnette, who currently co-hosts the popular Spittin' Chiclets podcast and works as a TNT analyst, has taken a lot of shots at the Buffalo Sabres in recent years as the franchise's playoff drought extended beyond a decade.
"Biz Nasty" met his match on Wednesday night in the form of Sabres legend Rob Ray, one of the best enforcers in NHL history who ranks sixth all-time in penalty minutes (3,207).
Ray made Bissonnette pay for his endless chirps directed toward Buffalo and its suddenly red-hot hockey team. First, "Rayzor" tied him to a chair for a some puck punishment with a little help from Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin before a clash with the Philadelphia Flyers:
Biz showed up in Buffalo and had to pay the price for all the Sabres chirps over the years thanks to Razor and the boys 😂pic.twitter.com/xQfaXVkowG
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) January 15, 2026
Then the longtime Blue and Gold winger, who works on Buffalo's MSG broadcasts, made Biz pay off a debt held since the Winter Classic after Buffalo's 5-2 win:
Rayzor's revenge. 😈@NHL_On_TNT | @BR_OpenIce pic.twitter.com/1z8iPhw8ql
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) January 15, 2026
It was a funny moment between two players who used to enjoy the physical side of hockey.
More importantly for the Sabres, they moved back up into the top wild-card position in the Eastern Conference with the victory. The Flyers are now two points behind both a wild-card spot and third place in the Metropolitan Division.
So, let's analyze the latest edition of our Sabres player grades series after Dahlin broke out of a minor offensive slump in a major way.
Buffalo Sabres receive well-rounded performance to secure Jan. 14 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Rasmus Dahlin | 9 |
Ryan McLeod | 8.5 |
Josh Doan | 8.5 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 8 |
Josh Norris | 7.5 |
Jack Quinn | 7.5 |
Noah Ostlund | 7 |
Tage Thompson | 7 |
Bowen Byram | 6.5 |
Zach Benson | 6.5 |
Jacob Bryson | 6 |
Alex Tuch | 6 |
Jason Zucker | 5.5 |
Owen Power | 5 |
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 5 |
Peyton Krebs | 3.5 |
Tyson Kozak | 3 |
Beck Malenstyn | 3 |
Zach Metsa | 1.5 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Rasmus Dahlin
Dahlin entered Wednesday's game ice cold offensively. He'd recorded no goals and three assists over the previous nine games, though the fact the Sabres were still able to post a 7-2-0 record over that stretch is a great sign of the club's all-around progress.
The 25-year-old defenseman lit the lamp twice against the Flyers. Perhaps the best sign is that both goals came on the power play, an area Buffalo has struggled mightily in recent weeks despite winning 14 of its past 16 games.
Dahlin still wasn't driving 5-on-5 play at his usual elite rate, which is why he didn't receive a perfect 10 grade, but head coach Lindy Ruff and Co. will hope seeing the puck hit the back of the net a couple times will help spark the three-time NHL All-Star.
The Sabres' ability to climb the Eastern Conference standings without getting Norris Trophy-level numbers from their captain suggests they still have more upside if he can find top form.
Sabres quick hits
- Ryan McLeod can dominate a game in such subtle ways, especially given his high-end penalty killing contributions, that he's often overlooked in the grades. He earned high marks against Philly.
- Josh Doan has been a turnover-forcing machine all season, but it's been even more noticeable in recent games because his defensive stick in leading directly to scoring chances for Buffalo.
- Josh Norris left the contest with an upper-body injury and will be evaluated Thursday. The Sabres can't afford another long-term absence from the highly productive center.
- Noah Ostlund shouldn't be a healthy scratch again.
- Peyton Krebs' return to the struggling fourth line was the right decision, but it didn't immediately result in a better performance from the bottom of the lineup.
- Michael Kesselring is healthy and should replace Zach Metsa on the bottom pair.
- Buffalo (25-16-4) is right back in action Thursday night (7 p.m. ET) when it welcomes the Atlantic Division rival Montreal Canadiens (26-14-7) to the KeyBank Center for another crucial Eastern Conference clash.