Postgame Report | Dahlin delivers highlight-reel hit in win over Sharks

Rasmus Dahlin conjured memories of Michael Peca and Brian Campbell as he lined up Matt Nieto on Sunday, donning the black and red colors worn for some of the great hits in Sabres history.
Dahlin added his own entry to that conversation, sending Nieto flying to the ice and electrifying the KeyBank Center crowd during the second period of a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks.
The hit came during a three-assist performance for Dahlin, whose 29 points rank second among NHL defensemen behind his countryman and opponent on Sunday, Erik Karlsson.

"That's one of the biggest hits I've seen in a while," Mattias Samuelsson, who witnessed the collision from a few feet away, said. "For how skilled he is and how talented he is, for him to him have that in his game too, it's pretty impressive and I think it gave us all a boost.
"… I mean, I don't know how many players in the league are actually like that. It's pretty special"

Dahlin has produced eye-popping offensive numbers this season, which he opened with goals in five straight games (an NHL record for defensemen). He is on pace for 97 points, which would shatter the Sabres' franchise record for a defenseman currently held by Phil Housley (81).
But his contributions transcend his offense. His leadership was recognized when he was awarded the title of alternate captain during training camp. He is a workhorse, ranking fourth among all NHL players with an average ice time of 25:58. His plus-10 rating is a testament to his ability to defend opposing top lines on a nightly basis.
He also happens to be among the most physical players on the ice on any given night, further evidenced by his hit on Sunday. Dahlin was defending Nieto in the Buffalo zone when he noticed the San Jose forward look down to stick handle.
"I decided to hit him," Dahlin said. "I hope he's OK, it looked like he was OK. It's part of the game."

The crowd, already emboldened by three Sabres goals to that point, jumped into a frenzy. The bench had the same reaction.
"It got us fired up for sure," Jack Quinn said. "That was one of the biggest hits I've ever seen."
The hit could stand as a lasting image of what was a complete team victory for the Sabres. The "Kids Line" of Jack Quinn (two goals), Dylan Cozens (three assists), and JJ Peterka (one goal) continued its dynamic offensive play while Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, and Alex Tuch added goals. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves.
The Sabres trailed 2-1 after 20 minutes but responded with three goals in the second period, then shut the door in the third.
"We've been talking a lot here the past couple days about closing games and I thought we did a really good job of doing that, so it's a great team win," Dahlin said. "The kid line played unreal. We had some highlight goals again. It was a great win, it was fun to be a part of, great crowd."

How it happened

PERIOD 1
Thompson buried a one-timer on the power play to open the scoring 9:19 into the period. Cozens initiated the sequence with a deceptive pass to the point, drawing the attention of the penalty kill before feeding Dahlin at the point. Dahlin hit Thompson in the left circle.

The Sharks responded with goals from Nick Bonino and Kevin Labanc scored 2:39 apart to take a 2-1 lead into the intermission.
PERIOD 2
Peterka ignited a dominant period from the Sabres just 16 seconds in, dashing down the ice with a step on Erik Karlsson and sending a shot past Dell on the rush.

Skinner cut across the San Jose goal and scored his 12th of the season to put the Sabres ahead at the 4:21 mark.

Quinn added to the lead with a highlight-reel goal on the power play, deking away from the outstretched stick of Radim Simek before burying an attempt from the slot as he fell to one knee.

PERIOD 3
Quinn buried a chance on the rush for his second goal of the game with 8:37 remaining.

Oskar Lindblom responded with the Sharks' third goal 15 seconds later, but Tuch added an empty-net goal for the Sabres with 3:22 remaining.

"I think we just managed the puck really well," Samuelsson said. "I think in the past, or the past couple games, we were having some bad turnovers and it was leading to penalties and stuff. I thought today we managed it and stayed on the D side of the puck. Played hard, played behind them and didn't give them any free offense."

What we learned

1.Cozens, Dahlin, Skinner, Thompson, Peterka, and Quinn all extended their point streaks to four games.
2. The line of Peterka, Cozens, and Quinn continued to dominate in the scoring chance department. The Sabres held lopsided advantages in shot attempts (15-5) and scoring chances (14-4) with the trio on the ice at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick.
3. With his three assists, Cozens became the became the fourth Sabres skater aged 21 or younger to record three or more points in consecutive games, according to @SabresPR. Dave Andreychuk (February 8 to 9, 1984), Gilbert Perreault (December 19 to 23, 1971) and Pierre Turgeon (October 13 to 17, 1990) also accomplished the feat with Buffalo.
"He's doing the right things all the time," Dahlin said of Cozens. "He defends well but offensively he never does anything wrong it feels like. He's protecting the puck, makes the play when he has to. He's got skill and a great shot, so he's got it all I feel like."
4.Skinner now has 16 points (9+7) in his last 12 games.
5. Buffalo improved to 9-0-0 on the year when leading after two periods. They're also 2-0-0 in their new third jerseys.
6. The Sabres hosted Native American Heritage Night in partnership with Seneca Resorts and Casinos. The night put a spotlight on support for Native American groups in Western New York while honoring their history in the area.
Check out the pregame ceremony here:

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Up next

The Sabres visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. The game will be nationally televised on TNT beginning at 7:30 p.m. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the radio call on WGR 550.