It was the kind of play Buffalo Sabres fans clamored to see in Buffalo when Rasmus Dahlin was drafted first overall on June 22, 2018.
Dahlin collected the puck at the blue line in the first period, skated effortlessly around Dallas Stars winger Joel Kiviranta, cut across the slot and beat Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Braden Holtby with a backhander.
Jack Quinn picked up another goal for the Rochester Amerks on Tuesday without even playing a…
The remarkable display of skill was the beginning of a sneak preview for Sabres fans in KeyBank Center, as general manager Kevyn Adams’ young core took flight sooner than expected. It took a rash of injuries to key veterans – Kyle Okposo, Vinnie Hinostroza, Zemgus Girgensons and Colin Miller, among others – for coach Don Granato to use a lineup that included eight players under the age of 25.
The plan is still missing two key figures in Casey Mittelstadt and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and some significant mistakes led to the 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars, but the Sabres showed the outlook is bright for a franchise that’s in jeopardy of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a record 11th season.
"Our young guys did a great job today, but we have to find a way to win these types of games against these veteran teams," said the 21-year-old Dahlin.
The 23-year-old center appears to be one step closer to returning to the Buffalo Sabres' lineup.
Buffalo (12-21-7) couldn’t overcome mistakes by young players and veterans, as Dallas’ Tyler Seguin twice tied the score before Jason Robertson’s second goal of the game gave the Stars a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with 3:32 remaining in regulation.
The Sabres had an ideal start, backed by Dahlin’s seventh goal of the season.
Dahlin, an NHL all-star in his fourth season, produced enough plays to have his own highlight reel, but it was Jack Quinn who stole the show early. Quinn, a 20-year-old drafted eighth overall by Buffalo in 2020, scored his first career NHL goal on the power play with a wrist shot from the right circle that went off the crossbar and in on a remarkable feed from Dahlin for a 2-0 lead only 6:37 into the game. Dahlin finished with two assists for his first three-point game of the season.
"Something you kind of dream about," said Quinn. "So, it was pretty special to see it go in and it was exciting to celebrate with my teammates there.”
The lead was back at two goals when Dylan Cozens, also 20, bolted down the middle of the ice, received a Victor Olofsson pass from the left-wing boards and used a backhanded shot to make it 3-1 Buffalo early in the second period. The goal was Cozens’ 10th of the season and second in as many games.
Photos: Buffalo Sabres fall to Dallas Stars 5-4
Alex Tuch, suddenly one of the most experienced in the lineup at 25 years old, revived the Sabres during a sluggish second period with a low shot from the left circle for a 4-3 lead. Tuch, who was acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent Jack Eichel to Vegas, has eight points in eight games with Buffalo. Holtby made big saves when needed, finishing with 20 stops.
"I think there are going to be some growing pains maybe," Quinn added. "But in general I think it’s pretty exciting to have a young team like that and hopefully kind of build up together and keep improving.”
The tape from this game will have Granato busy at practice Friday, as the Sabres provided little defensive help for goalie Aaron Dell. Dallas (19-16-2) had 34 shots on goal through 40 minutes, including 21 in the second period, and finished with 47. The Stars scored four goals on the power play and Seguin tied it 3-3 with a shot off Sabres defenseman Mark Pysyk. Robertson scored the deciding marker by swatting a puck out of the air, and Roope Hintz also had a goal for Dallas.
The Sabres couldn't win battles in front of the net or along the boards, leading to an inability to generate offense off the rush. They didn't spend enough time in the offensive zone to exploit Dallas' man-to-man defense, which Dahlin did on his goal. Granato changed his forward lines throughout the night because of his club’s poor play with the puck.
Reinforcements are on the way – Mittelstadt is nearing a return, Luukkonen is week to week and Owen Power will be here next season – and more difficult moments are inevitable, but this game showed flashes of what could be on the horizon in Buffalo.
"It's a glimpse of a little bit of where we’re at and the opportunity in front of us, too, when you look at the goals we did score with some young guys and very skilled guys," said Granato. "Some really nice goals on our side, but when I talk about the end result of not winning, you see the challenge ahead for us as a younger group to win more of those battles. Some of it is physical, some of it is technical. This is a team that went to a Stanley Cup Final, whatever, 15 months ago, because they’re big and strong. They beat us in a game with big and strong."
Here are more observations from the game Thursday night:
"We had no problem putting him out there and using him," coach Don Granato said. "Back-to-back nights, he's a young guy, skating well and he's such an efficient skater, too. He plays efficiently there. So that was a reason for more minutes. Minutes are less taxing to him."
1. Undermanned
The Sabres have now lost a league-worst eight times when leading at the second intermission and the penalty kill was the culprit Thursday. Buffalo has allowed seven power-play goals over its past four games, a stretch that coincides with the absence of winger Girgensons, a key penalty-killer. The club also missed Okposo, who wasn't in the lineup to help with those puck battles.
This should also be an important lesson for Adams: get bigger and stronger, both in the bottom six and defense. Mattias Samuelsson is a notable addition on the blue line, but the Sabres will need more physicality to push the rebuild to the next step.
"We saw some nice skill plays by our guys, but we saw the ground we have to cover," said Granato.
Houser was active in his crease all night, moving well laterally and getting to rebounds quick in the Buffalo Sabres' 3-1 victory, which included goals from Dylan Cozens, Mark Jankowski and Alex Tuch.
2. Here to stay
Quinn will be sticking around, at least for now. A top-six opportunity is available with Okposo out and the Sabres need more goal-scorers to complement their sudden riches down the middle. Quinn had three shots on goal in 13:15 of ice time, an assist and scored while on the top power play. With Mittelstadt's return looming, Peyton Krebs shifted to wing and used his speed to make an impact there Thursday. It's apparent that Mittelstadt, Cozens and Tage Thompson are this club's top three centers.
3. Around the boards
With Okposo and Girgensons out, Dahlin served as one of the Sabres’ alternate captains for the first time in his career. … Winger Brett Murray was assigned to Rochester before the game. … Defenseman Will Butcher did not return after suffering an upper-body injury in the first period. … Anders Bjork snapped an eight-game point drought with an assist on Dahlin’s goal.
4. Next
The Sabres are scheduled to host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday at 1 p.m. This will be former Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen’s first game back in Buffalo since his trade to Philadelphia in July.
