Dahlin, Sabres Off To Quick Start, But Injuries Taking Their Toll

The Buffalo Sabres have been one of the NHL’s surprise clubs to start the regular season, going 4-2 in their first six games, including three straight road victories in Western Canada against Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. The Sabres are getting goals from forwards Alex Tuch, Victor Olofsson, Dylan Cozens, and rookie J-J Peterka, and excellent goaltending from the tandem of Craig Anderson and Eric Comrie, but a big part of their early success has been the play of defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.

The 22-year-old set an NHL record by scoring goals in his first five games and earned NHL First Star of the Week earlier this week, which is just the latest sign that the talented Swede is back on the road to stardom after taking an unexpected detour.

Dahlin has been an excellent offensive talent since being selected first overall in 2018, (with 40+ point seasons his first two years), but former coach Ralph Krueger attempted to get the 6’3”, 202 lb. defenseman to be more of a two-way blueliner like Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman.

This led to regression and his worst statistical year (5 goals, 18 assists, -36 +/- in 56 games), which was in part one of the reasons why Krueger was fired in favor of Don Granato. Under Granato, Dahlin was allowed to get back to utilizing his strengths and was switched to the right side, resulting in a career-high 53 points (13 goals, 40 assists) last season.

Around Full Press Hockey

NHL: Preseason Takeaways: New-Look Jets Have Much to Prove

NHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils

NHL: NHL Training Camp Preview: Can Sharks, Blues Return To Cup Contender Status?

NFL: Best Bets For 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year

Full Press Bets: Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored

PODCAST: Full Press Hockey Weekly Ep 38: NHL Season Preview: Golden Knights, Maple Leafs, Johnny Gaudreau

“When Erik Karlsson was at the top of his game, he was doing things with the puck that you just wouldn’t expect him to do because he had that confidence,”  Anderson said last week.  “I’m not comparing him to Erik, but I’m comparing him to that confidence, that swagger with the puck that he has to be able to make those plays. He’s just playing loose and letting his skill and ability take over right now.”

Part of his newly found comfort level was playing with fellow 2018 selection Mattias Samuelsson. The Philadelphia-born son of former NHLer Kjell is more defensive-minded, which allows Dahlin to be more creative. The Sabres saw the rapport between the two as the makings of a top-pairing unit, which led GM Kevyn Adams to lock up the 22-year-old to a seven-year, $30 million contract extension earlier this month.

Unfortunately, the injury bug has hit the Sabres hard on their Western road swing.  Henry Jokiharju suffered a facial fracture against the Flames and has been listed as week-to-week, and Samuelsson will miss several weeks after a scary knee injury against Vancouver on Saturday. Buffalo has recalled Kale Clague and Lawrence Pilut, and it is expected that Casey Fitzgerald and 2021 top overall pick Owen Power will get more ice time.