Captain Rasmus Dahlin knows pressure is beginning to mount on the Buffalo Sabres amid an ill-timed three-game losing streak as they attempt to clinch a berth in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Sabres suffered a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Atlantic Division rival Detroit Red Wings on Friday night. It came on the heels of back-to-back overtime losses to the Anaheim Ducks and Boston Bruins where the team gave up game-tying goals late in the third period.
Dahlin wants to see a massive response from Buffalo against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
"Tomorrow is gonna show what type of team we are," the All-Star defenseman told reporters after Friday's loss to the Wings. "We have to show to ourselves that we've got to dig ourselves out of this. This is unacceptable."
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff echoed that sentiment.
"I think for me, it's gonna boil down to how we come out in that first period tomorrow night," Ruff said about the clash with the Kraken.
The Blue and Gold weren't significantly outplayed on Friday despite the lopsided score.
They outshot the Wings 30-20 and pretty much dominated the final 40 minutes, but Detroit goalie John Gibson played fantastic and the Sabres took 14 minutes of penalties, leading to a pair of power-play goals against, and went 0-for-3 on their own PP opportunities.
Buffalo's situational hockey must improve over the final nine games of the regular season, which is why Dahlin and Ruff are putting such an onus on an immediate turnaround.
It'll be interesting to see how the Eastern Conference contenders respond against the Kraken.
Meanwhile, let's examine the team's performance in the latest edition of our Sabres player grades series following Friday's frustrating loss.
Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson don't receive the necessary support in Buffalo Sabres' March 27 loss to the Detroit Red Wings
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Rasmus Dahlin | 8.5 |
Tage Thompson | 8 |
Jason Zucker | 7 |
Jack Quinn | 7 |
Bowen Byram | 6.5 |
Peyton Krebs | 6 |
Beck Malenstyn | 6 |
Alex Tuch | 6 |
Ryan McLeod | 5.5 |
Josh Doan | 5.5 |
Conor Timmins | 5 |
Tanner Pearson | 5 |
Logan Stanley | 4.5 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 4.5 |
Owen Power | 4 |
Sam Carrick | 4 |
Josh Norris | 3.5 |
Zach Benson | 3 |
Alex Lyon | 2 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Rasmus Dahlin
Dahlin nearly scored a Goal of the Year candidate as he danced around every member of the Wings to create a scoring chance but couldn't finish the highlight-reel play with a goal. It showcased the type of confidence he's playing with in the offensive zone. He did light the lamp later in the contest.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft has recorded 18 points (five goals and 13 assists) over the past 14 games while posting a plus-17 rating. It's a great sign for Buffalo that he's playing at a Norris Trophy level since he's ticketed for 30 minutes of ice time a night in the playoffs.
One area Dahlin must clean up is his own trips to the penalty box. He's tallied 19 penalty minutes during the 14-game offensive hot streak, including four against Detroit on Friday. It's a massive advantage to the opponent every time he's sitting in the box.
Sabres quick hits
- Tage Thompson scored Buffalo's other goal and was active in the attacking zone all night en route to a game-high 12 shots attempts.
- Alex Lyon has now allowed 10 goals on 52 shots (.808 save percentage) over his past two starts, which is an emerging concern after his strong play all season.
- The Sabres need more from Josh Norris, who's posted just two points (one goal and one helper) over his past 10 appearances.
- Zach Benson endured a rare off night. The 20-year-old winger was on the ice for three of the Red Wings' goals and didn't dominate his 5-on-5 minutes at the usual rate.
- Buffalo (44-21-8) will attempt to get back to its winning ways at the KeyBank Center on Saturday evening (5:30 p.m. ET) when it battles Seattle (32-29-10).