‘That’s what we do’ | Winning Sabres have risen to every physical challenge

As the Buffalo Sabres have continued climbing the standings, they’ve seemed to develop a target on their backs. Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson have taken sticks, hits and punches away from the play, and their teammates’ responses have been admirable.

When Brayden Point slashed Dahlin, Noah Ostlund attacked the Lightning forward. When Brandon Hagel boarded Thompson a week later, the whole team fought back, setting the tone for Sunday’s nasty, 8-7 win over Tampa Bay. Hagel attacked Dahlin later that night, and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen left the crease ready to defend his captain.

On Tuesday, when Sharks defenseman Dmitry Orlov flipped Thompson with a low hit, Zach Benson charged in to retaliate.

“I think it’s just contagious around the room,” Benson said. “A hundred percent, it’s a brotherhood in here. We’ve seen that. Almost everyone in this room has stuck up for someone. It’s impressive to see, and I think that shows with our record.

“[Other teams] know that we’re skilled and can make plays, and they’re just trying to find a different way to attack us and try and beat us. And I think we countered it as well as we could have and kind of showed them that we could play that style of game, too.”

Last February, the Sabres regretted their lack of response to a dirty hit on Thompson. Their instinctive reaction to those plays now is a testament to their growth, and it’s a leading reason behind their vastly superior record (40-20-6) this season.

“They’re there for each other on every moment,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “We’ve answered every call, and we’ve grown up as a team. We’ve suffered a little bit of pain through that process.”

Added the captain Dahlin, in regards to Benson’s defending Thompson: “That's what we do in this locker room.”

Winning hockey can be painful at times, as Sunday’s game reminded Benson. The 5-foot-10 winger took a heavy hit against the wall as he passed to linemate Sam Carrick at center ice. He got back on his feet just in time to see Carrick score his first as a Sabre, the first of four Buffalo goals in an epic third period.

“Hell of a shot by Carrie; I didn’t do much other than take a hit to the head,” Benson said. “That really kind of turned that game around. … I was pretty riled up that the guy ran me through my head. When it went in, I was pretty fired up.”

The Sabres’ closeness as a team is visible everywhere these days. Friday’s practice at LECOM Harborcenter was filled with laughs, cheers and stick-taps, and you wouldn’t know they’d just lost a close one Thursday night to Washington. They’ve bounced back nicely from losses for months, now, and one disappointing game won’t disrupt what they’ve been building since early December.

“(Had) a good team meeting this morning. Good, honest meeting about not liking the way that game finished and how we gave away at least a point,” Ruff said. "… The energy of today’s practice was something that was needed.”

Here’s more from practice.

Injury updates

Alex Tuch (lower body) practiced, but Mattias Samuelsson (maintenance), Colten Ellis (maintenance) and Tanner Pearson (lower body) were each absent.

Check out the injuries and transactions page for the full reports on those guys and their statuses for Saturday.

Supporting the scratches

The trade additions of forwards Pearson and Carrick have added playing-time competition for Tyson Kozak and Josh Dunne. Likewise, new defensemen Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley mean Michael Kesselring and Zach Metsa will spend some nights in the press box.

All that said, Ruff confirmed those season-long Sabres aren’t being cast aside, by any means.

“It is (hard), because this is the group that has got us there,” the coach said. “And I still have a lot of time for all the guys, from Kozy to Dunner to Kess to Mets. I’ve got a lot of time, and I’ve got a lot of admiration for how much time they put in to help make us a better team.”

Beck’s burst

NHL Edge has been tracking skating speed since the 2021-22 season. On Thursday, Buffalo’s Beck Malenstyn hit record speed (24.94 mph) as he attempted to negate a third-period icing.

“I saw that too,” Ruff said. “We actually talked about it. Incredible.”

That play wasn’t an outlier for the 28-year-old winger, who ranks in the NHL’s 96th percentile in both 22-plus mph speed bursts (he’s got 14) and 20-22 mph speed bursts (157).

Up next

The homestand wraps up Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Toronto Maple Leafs. MSG’s pregame coverage starts at 6:30.

Tickets are still available – get yours today.