Observations: Rasmus Dahlin scores, celebrates, but Sabres fall apart in OT loss

Upon scoring the tying goal in the second period on a wrist shot from the point, Rasmus Dahlin skated toward the glass and acted like he was wiping his face with his right hand.

The celebration was created by Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins, who Dahlin met while the two were in Las Vegas last week for the NFL Pro Bowl and the NHL All-Star Game. During a playful conversation captured by cameras at T-Mobile Arena, Dahlin allowed Dawkins to pick the Sabres’ defenseman’s next act of jubilation.

The goal did more than fulfill Dahlin’s promise to Dawkins. It sparked a turnaround during Buffalo's first game in nine days. Then came another third-period comeback by an opponent.

Sparked by Dahlin's goal off a routine wrist shot, the Sabres took control of the game before they coughed up a two-goal lead and lost 4-3 when Jakub Voracek buried a wrist shot only 16 seconds into overtime.

The Sabres (14-24-8) failed to win consecutive games at home for the first time in October and are winless in three straight. They're 2-11-3 in their last 16 games at KeyBank Center.

"At this point, we have nothing to lose in the third period," lamented Dahlin. "We just have to go out there, stick to our game plan and not get tied up in whatever. We have to just play loose in the third and just battle our butt off.  We have to get better in the third period."

This wasn't a complete collapse for the Sabres. Dustin Tokarski allowed Brendan Gaunce's shot from the left circle to leak through, cutting Buffalo's lead to one goal. Then the Blue Jackets went on the power play because of a holding call against Kyle Okposo, leading to the tying goal by Oliver Bjorkstrand. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, Buffalo had more scoring chances at 5-on-5 (20-15), and many of Columbus' shots over the first 40 minutes were limited to the perimeter.

However, the Sabres failed to put the game away, as they fumbled pucks and strung together bad shifts in the third period. This overshadowed the fact that Tokarski's only goal against for the first 44 minutes of the game occurred when a puck went off a teammate's skate. Buffalo was only outshot 34-27 and made more plays with the puck. Finishing was the issue, as rust was obvious for most of the team.

"It's our first game back in nine days, so it is a little bit of getting our legs under us," said winger Alex Tuch, who has 15 points in 15 games with Buffalo. "Maybe we were tighter in the third period. It comes with more games, it come with experience."

It was the Blue Jackets (22-22-4) who struck first, when Jack Roslovic’s centering pass from the goal line ricocheted off the skate of Sabres defenseman Mark Pysyk and in for a 1-0 Columbus lead at 9:05 into the first period.

Dahlin’s shot off goalie Elvis Merzlikins’ glove tied the score at 3:27 into the second period, sparking a stretch of impressive play by the Sabres. Victor Olofsson nearly scored on a wraparound, and Buffalo was on the attack for much of the middle frame.

Kyle Okposo then broke through, one-timing an impressive behind-the-net pass from Mark Jankowski inside the far post for a 2-1 lead with 1:37 remaining in the second period. Then Tuch, who nearly scored before the intermission, made it 3-1 only 12 seconds into the third when he collected a pass from Jeff Skinner, stickhandled Merzlikins out of position and scored his sixth goal as a Sabre.

"I thought we were really hard to play against," said Tuch. "I thought we were clogging up the middle. We didn’t give them any time or space. I thought our defensemen had really good gaps, our forwards were backchecking hard, we were creating turnovers. When we had it in their zone we were getting chances and putting pucks on net."

The unraveling began there. The Sabres had four players in their defensive zone when Gaunce had the puck but failed to eliminate the play. Less than 10 minutes later, the game was tied because of a bad penalty kill by Buffalo. The Sabres have trouble mounting comebacks -- they're 1-18-2 when trailing at the second intermission -- and continue to squander leads. It's a normal symptom for a young team, but it's one that doesn't have a simple solution.

"Bearing down," said Tuch. "Fighting for that extra inch everywhere on the ice. It’s a will. We have to make it a way of life."

Here are other observations from the game Thursday night:

1. Status quo

You could make an argument that coach Don Granato should break up his top line to distribute those three talented scorers – Skinner, Tuch and Tage Thompson – among the top six, but it’s difficult to separate the team's best trio. The line's shot quality at 5-on-5 is first among all Buffalo forward lines to skate together for at least 50 minutes this season. They combined for 13 shots on goal and four points Thursday.

"I didn’t think they were close to going tonight," said coach Don Granato. "I thought their timing was off. I didn’t think they ever got into a rhythm tonight, but they were still good. They were still dangerous quite a bit in that game. They have a lot of confidence in each other and strong belief in each other. The goal at the start of the period there, they supported, they read how to support each other well and they read the next play available well."

2. By the numbers

With 26 career goals, Dahlin is one away from matching Richie Dunn for 16th all-time among Sabres defensemen. … Thompson has 16 points in his last 15 games, and he has at least one point in his last nine games at KeyBank Center. ... Dahlin led the Sabres in ice time (25:09) and has 29 points in 45 games. ... The Sabres missed the net 14 times. ... Columbus is a league-best 8-1 in overtime or shootout this season, while Buffalo is 3-8. 

3. Extended audition

Scratching a 24-year-old defenseman might seem to contradict the Sabres’ plan to use this season to develop young players, but Jacob Bryson hasn’t played well recently. Bryson isn’t killing enough plays in the defensive zone, an area he’ll need to clean up if he’s going to carve out a role on this team long-term. He’s no longer on the power play, and Robert Hagg is needed on the penalty kill.

The Sabres also want to take a long look at Casey Fitzgerald, who could fill the void at right-shot defense next season. Fitzgerald, 24, has played well in his time in the NHL and has intangibles this team lacks on the back end.

4. Next

The Sabres are scheduled to play the Montreal Canadiens in the Bell Centre on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Craig Anderson is expected to be in net for Buffalo and needs only one win (No. 297) to pass Ron Hextall for 40th all-time in NHL history.