BUFFALO, N.Y. — In an impressive display on Saturday night, Rasmus Dahlin notched two goals and provided an assist as the Buffalo Sabres overwhelmed the New York Rangers with an 8-2 victory. The Sabres took advantage of a dominant first period where they netted five goals, showcasing their offensive prowess after returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
Tage Thompson and Ryan McLeod also contributed significantly, each scoring twice, while Jason Zucker recorded three assists. Alongside Dahlin’s performance, Jack Quinn and Henri Jokiharju added to the score sheet as well. In goal, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves, helping the Sabres improve their record to 5-1 in their last six contests.
On the flip side, the Rangers saw goals from Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad in the second period. However, they were unable to harness the momentum gained from their pre-break run of 11 wins in 18 games, which had recently brought them within four points of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Rangers’ goaltender Igor Shesterkin had a tough night, being pulled from the game with 1:39 remaining in the first period after surrendering five goals on just 16 shots faced. His replacement, Jonathan Quick, managed to stop three out of 17 shots for the remainder of the match.
An injury concern arose for Buffalo when Alex Tuch was sidelined after a hit from K’Andre Miller just 4:22 into the third period. His absence will be monitored in the upcoming days.
Key takeaways from the game included Shesterkin’s struggles, dropping to a dismal 1-5 over his last six outings, in which he has conceded a staggering 24 goals. For the Sabres, Jordan Greenway made his return after a lengthy absence due to a hernia, marking his comeback with an assist on Dahlin’s second goal of the night.
A pivotal moment in the game was Thompson’s opening goal with just 4:28 left in the first period, which ignited a flurry of three goals within a mere 2:48 stretch, putting Buffalo ahead 5-0. The Rangers struggled defensively, allowing Thompson to maneuver from the right corner right to the slot, slotting a backhander beneath Shesterkin.
In terms of records, Dahlin’s two goals brought his career total to 75, placing him second among all-time Sabres defensemen, surpassing Mike Ramsey by two. Phil Housley is the all-time leader with 178 goals.
Looking ahead, the Rangers will travel to Pittsburgh for their next matchup on Sunday, while the Sabres are set to host Anaheim on Tuesday.
