DETROIT – Across Little Caesars Arena, from the main concourse to the hallway between the two dressing rooms, you will find reminders of the Red Wings’ remarkable history.
On the event level, only a short walk from the Buffalo Sabres’ dressing room, there’s a wall of excellence that displays the numerous individual accomplishments in franchise history. One name would catch Rasmus Dahlin’s eye over the rest: Nicklas Lidstrom.
Lidstrom, a fellow Swede is recognized as the best defenseman in NHL history. Dahlin met his childhood hero for the first time in Stockholm in November 2019. Lidstrom, who won seven Norris trophies, played 20 seasons in Detroit before retiring in 2012.
Dahlin has played here in the past, but his return Wednesday night for a game against the Red Wings occurred with the 2018 No. 1 pick having a season that would make Lidstrom proud. Dahlin, 21, entered the Atlantic Division matchup on pace for 93 points, which would shatter Phil Housley’s single-season franchise record for points by a defenseman (81 in 1989-90).
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Dahlin’s eight goals through 21 games also had him on pace to become the first NHL defenseman to score 30 or more goals in a season since Mike Green totaled 31 with the Washington Capitals in 2008-09. Housley is the only other Sabres defenseman to accomplish that feat when he scored 31 in 1983-84.
“I think you can see more and more confidence every week or every day,” Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson said of his defense partner, Dahlin. “He obviously has the skill and talent, and he works his bag off. Is it surprising? No. But it’s nice to see, for sure.”
Dahlin isn’t a one-dimensional player, either. He’s become reliable defensively and one of the Sabres’ most physical players without the puck. Dahlin entered Wednesday ranked third among all NHL defensemen in average ice time per game (26:05) and 12th in goals above replacement, a statistic by Evolving-Hockey.com that measures a player’s overall contributions to his team in all situations.
The big hits are piling up for Dahlin this season. He dropped New Jersey’s Tomas Tatar to the ice with a clean, open-ice check Friday in KeyBank Center. And there’s no questioning Dahlin’s willingness to stick up for his teammates.
When Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov blatantly took out Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the third period Monday night, Dahlin was quick to tackle Kucherov. It began a brief melee between the players on the ice and both skaters were assessed two-minute minor penalties.
“It’s always good to see your star players getting in there,” Samuelsson said with a smirk. “I mean, I think Ras is the first person on the team who would do anything for anyone else. He’s obviously competitive and has some fire in him, so I would expect nothing else.”
On the mend
The Sabres received positive news regarding defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin’s lower-body injury when imaging results were "clean," according to a team spokesperson. Lyubushkin didn't finish the game Monday after he blocked a slap shot by the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos with 1:11 left in regulation.
The Sabres will monitor Lyubushkin's recovery before setting a timeline for his return. Lyubushkin, 28, leads the Sabres in penalty-kill ice time, while ranking second in hits and fourth in blocked shots. He’s been slowed by a lower-body injury since the third game of the season, when he blocked a shot in Edmonton.
Defenseman Lawrence Pilut drew into the lineup for Lyubushkin in Detroit.
Scouting the opponent
The Avalanche (12-7-1) won’t be content when the club arrives in Buffalo to face the Sabres on Thursday night in KeyBank Center. Colorado was shut out, 5-0, by the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night despite the Avalanche recording 16 more shots on goal.
The defending Stanley Cup champions have lost two of their last three, allowing a combined nine goals while dropping games to Vancouver and Winnipeg. Colorado lost another important player to injury recently when former Sabres center Evan Rodrigues suffered a lower-body injury that will cause him to miss 2-4 weeks.
Gabriel Landeskog, Bowen Byram, Darren Helm, Kurtis MacDermid and Valeri Nichushkin also remain out because of injury.
The Sabres have suffered seven consecutive regulation losses to the Avalanche dating to Dec. 5, 2017, when Robin Lehner was the winning goalie for Buffalo.
Manning the crease
Clarence Center native Luke Pavicich, 20, earned the starting goalie job at the University of Massachusetts with his impressive play as a sophomore.
Pavicich, an alumnus of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, was named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Week after he stopped 63 of 66 shots in two games for the Minutemen at the Friendship Four tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
He owns a 6-3-2 record and .929 save percentage in 11 appearances this season. Pavicich wasn’t drafted by an NHL team, but his rapid development as an athletic, 6-foot-3 goalie has earned the trust of his coach, Greg Carvel.
“He’s our guy, it’s pretty clear with the way he’s played,” Carvel said. “I thought he played outstanding this weekend, and we need that.”
