There will be a glaring hole on the Buffalo Sabres’ blue line tonight. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported earlier that defenseman Rasmus Dahlin won’t play for the Sabres tonight without adding any context regarding an injury.
Lysowski’s update was relatively vague aside from the update that Dahlin wouldn’t be in the lineup. He added a note from head coach Lindy Ruff who claimed it’s expected to be a short-term absence for the team’s best defenseman but “you never know.” It’s not exactly something that strikes confidence in the idea that Dahlin will return soon.
Buffalo’s captain has become irreplaceable for the organization as he sits third on the team in scoring with six goals and 19 points in 25 games. The Sabres will have a tough time keeping up with a surgical Winnipeg offense tonight with their best defenseman. He’s the only blue liner on the roster with an expected +/- higher than 0.
Other Atlantic notes:
- There’s at least one positive development for Buffalo’s blue line as Lysowski also shared that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is close to returning from his lower-body injury. It’s been nearly a month since Samuelsson last suited up for the Sabres and the team is hoping to get him a few more practices before activating him from the injured reserve. They’ll need him to be better once he does return as Samuelsson has only managed an 83.2% on-ice save percentage in all situations, far beneath his career average.
- It’ll still be a few days before Sergei Bobrovsky returns to the Florida Panthers. Katie Engleson of Scripps Sports reported the Panthers are hopeful Bobrovsky returns on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks but they’re prepared if he can’t. He’s currently on personal leave from the team as he and his wife, Olga, recently welcomed their second child.