In the middle a playoff race, the Buffalo Sabres lost a tough game on Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks. While the team can get back into the win column tonight against the Edmonton Oilers, I want to go back to the other night for a minute.
Despite the loss, there was one takeaway from the game that resonated with me. Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was the only player who scored in the loss. Even though it was a negative result, Dahlin showed some heart with his performance.
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about who should be the next captain of the Buffalo Sabres. Those names included Alex Tuch, Zemgus Girgensons and Dahlin. With him being one of the assistant captains on the Sabres, Dahlin should be considered to wear the C next season.
Alongside, Bowen Byram, Dahlin is having another good season with Buffalo. In 69 games played this year, Rasmus has 17 goals and 35 assists with 52 points which leads the Sabres in that category. When it comes to scoring, he is tied with Cal Makar for second place in the league.
But it's not just his stats that I think he's making a case to be the next captain. During the last couple of seasons, Dahlin has established himself as a talented and physical player. His attitude is something Buffalo lacks heavily, which is why having a player like Rasmus helps the team.
In the Canucks game, it was an ugly game for the Sabres. As for Dahlin, he was one of the players who played with some heart and did everything he could to get his team back into the game. Even though Buffalo didn't get the two points, Rasmus showed some fight and as a result, he got both goals for the Sabres.
His attitude is exactly what a captain should have and I won't be surprised if he was named the next captain.