Rasmus Dahlin did some heavy lifting Tuesday night to help snap the Buffalo Sabres' winless streak and give goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen his first NHL win of the season.
Dahlin notched the first two-goal game of his career and Luukkonen rang up 34 more saves as the Sabres grounded the Winnipeg Jets, 4-2, in Canada Life Centre.
"All signs point to Luukkonen and Subban taking over as the club’s tandem until Dustin Tokarski returns from Covid-19 protocol," writes Lance Lysowski.
Buffalo (9-15-4) entered the contest on a seven-game winless streak (0-5-2). But in their first appearance in Canada since a loss in Winnipeg on March 3, 2020, the Sabres took a one-goal lead into the third period and protected it. Winnipeg entered the third with 27 shots on goal but had only four in the first 16 minutes of the period.
"Tonight we were looking past the opposition and finding our options," said coach Don Granato. "There was a calm to our game and presence with the puck, which was nice to see. Hopefully it's a sign of growth."
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Dahlin leads Buffalo defensemen with five goals and opened the scoring at 7:14 of the first period with a power-play goal, a quick snap shot that went bar down to beat Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck. His second goal again gave the Sabres a lead, at 3-2 with 38.4 seconds left in the second period. It came when his slapshot from the point deflected home off Winnipeg defenseman Nate Schmidt.
"It was nice for sure to come out in the third with a lead. Huge," Dahlin said. "It was nice to get that goal and in the third we just came out and battled and played tight defensively."
Luukkonen has a 1.99 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in his four games. He was 0-2-1 as the Sabres scored only three goals for him at home last week but got offensive support in this one while still making key saves.
Luukkonen pushed to his right in the first period to stop a Mark Scheifele one-timer and stopped Nikolaj Ehlers in the second period on a 3-on-1 break, with Tage Thompson clearing the loose puck out of the crease with his glove.
"We played really solid, we kept them outside," Luukkonen said. "I think we were boxing out guys really well in front of the goal. I saw pretty much all the shots today. Of course, as a goalie, you appreciate a good defensive game and I think we did that."
Luukkonen was 1-3, 3.88/.906 for the Sabres last season and had middling numbers in Rochester this season (6-6, 3.42/.888), save for one strong week. This is the stretch of play the Sabres have waited for since he was drafted in 2017.
"He's unbelievable," Dahlin said. "When we need him, he does those crazy saves and he's so calm in the net, it makes our confidence in the D-zone a lot better."
"His composure tonight again was what I was impressed with. And he was aggressive," Granato said. "He actually got into physical confrontations with guys in his crease that I loved. He fought for his space and that's a progression for me, an attitude that 'I have ownership in this. I'm not just here for the holiday.'
Here are more thoughts on the game and other Sabres items of note:
1. Goal droughts
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The Sabres' top offensive players have hit a goal drought seemingly at the same time, and it's a key reason Luukkonen's strong work in goal had gone wasted in the standings.
Leading scorer Thompson (10 goals) hasn't connected in eight games. Victor Olofsson hasn't scored in 12 games since returning from his oblique injury. Rasmus Asplund hasn't scored in 11 games. Kyle Okposo has gone eight games without a goal, and Jeff Skinner had gone six until getting an insurance tally Tuesday at 11:55 of the third period.
Thompson, however, assisted on both of Dahlin's goals in this one, and Olofsson helped snap Skinner's drought with a pass to set up a 2-on-1. Skinner's ninth goal got him within one of Thompson.
"They've been doing the right things and they create chances so I wasn't worried about them," Granato said. "Obviously, tonight it was evident I didn't need to worry about it. They were very good."
2. Other offense
With their big forwards again silent, the Sabres got lots of offense from Dahlin and a nifty second goal from Anders Bjork at 11:30 of the second period on a neat three-way passing play in the offensive zone.
Winnipeg native Cody Eakin did strong work along the wall and fed Vinnie Hinostroza, who found Bjork alone in front with a slick backhand pass. Bjork, who sat out Friday's game vs. New York as a healthy scratch, calmly put the puck under Hellebuyck for his fourth goal of the season and first in his last 13 games.
3. Heritage Classic tickets on sale Thursday
"It was 50 years ago Thursday – Dec. 9, 1971 vs. the Chicago Black Hawks, as they spelled it back then – that I attended my first Sabres game in Memorial Auditorium," Mike Harrington writes.
Tickets to the NHL Heritage Classic between the Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs go on sale to the public Thursday at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster, the NHL announced Tuesday. The Sabres and Leafs will meet outdoors at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario, on Sunday, March 13 at 3 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on TNT. Fans who have had access to pre-sale opportunities for the game say tickets have started in the range of $225 CDN.
4. Around the boards
• The Sabres headed to Minnesota after the game, where they will practice on Wednesday. They meet the Wild on Thursday in St. Paul, then play at Pittsburgh on Friday.
• Granato had no update on defenseman Robert Hagg, who did not play in the third due to an undisclosed injury.
• Defenseman Nikita Novikov (Dynamo Moscow) was named to Team Russia for the World Juniors. The 18-year-old, a sixth-round pick by the Sabres in July, has played 30 games in the KHL this year, tallying one goal and three assists.
• The NHL announced the Sabres' Jan. 25 game at Ottawa has been moved to a 7 p.m. start from its original start time of 1 p.m. The Senators had been planning a School Day promotion on that date.
