Nature has healed, and all it took was Tage Thompson at center
Good morning,
We don’t have to talk about the Bills game, Buffalo’s favorite sports team plays tonight.
(it was the right call though, he slipped)
Nature Has Finally Healed, and All It Took Was Tage Thompson at Center
Was going to start with Dahlin here, but we’ll get to him.
After all these years, all they had to do was put Tage at center, huh?
The usual disclaimer — of course, it’s only been two games. But for a decision that was universally mocked, the Tage at center experiment hasn’t been half bad.
Last game, it was quite amazing:
According to Natural Stat Trick, the line of Olofsson, Thompson and Asplund registered 15 shot-attempts and allowed 0 against Arizona.
Thompson has been the daisy that keeps on giving with his unique skill-set and other-times questionable decision making; you love him, you love him not. When he’s on, he’s a true unicorn in the sport. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a player that’s 6’7 with the combination of hands, skating ability and blazing shot power that Thompson possesses.
But the key with Tage, like the story of every young player: consistency.
Consistency is what will define you as a player, no matter the sport.
The sample size is obscurely small, but the shot metrics are a nice sign of progression for Thompson. He has some help, playing alongside a savvy defensive player like Asplund, but Tage deserves his credit since transitioning over to center.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen flashes of offense, it’s just typically come at the expense of the other end. If Tage can produce at an average clip — and his line can stay above water defensively — that’s a win for the Sabres.
Dahlin Unlocked
Rasmus Dahlin will play in his 200th career game tonight.
His 199th game — against the Coyotes on Saturday — was maybe his best as a pro.
There’s no other way to describe it — Dahlin was an absolute madman on Saturday. Against the team once hopeful to draft him, no less.
Despite over 25 minutes of ice time (25:21), nothing on the stat sheet can do diligence for what made Dahlin’s game so great.
Regular Sabres viewers know: when he’s confident, and things are going well, he’s just a brilliant hockey player to watch.
We saw a handful of references to “Frolunda Dahlin,” during the game and that’s what it felt like we were watching. It was deja-vu of the Youtube highlight reels that pulled you out of your seat and made you excited for the next generation’s Phil Housley being groomed by the man himself. …But we’ll skip that part..
As Dahlin crosses 200 games, there’s no doubt he’s progressing under Don Granato. Like Thompson, consistency will be the key to Dahlin’s game. On defense especially, you can expect some off-nights. But Saturday’s game proved that the player this team drafted has been there all along.
The Sabres may just have finally have the key to unlock him.
Amerks Crushed in Opener
Down on the farm, things got off to a rougher start. The Amerks dropped their opener 6-2 to the Utica Comets.
2020 first round pick Jack Quinn registered a goal on the top line with JJ Peterka and Sean Malone.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made just 18 saves and allowed 6 goals on 24 shots.
Quick Hits
The Sabres claimed defenseman Christian Wolanin off of waivers during Saturday’s game. Some depth to supplement the loss of Jokiharju to injury.
With Mittelstadt injured, second-year NHL’er, Arttu Ruotsalainen stepped into the Sabres lineup and had a strong game on Saturday, including the shootout winner.
Sabres vs Canucks Game Preview
Craig Anderson will get his second start of the season as the Sabres host their expansion siblings on Tuesday night.
Vancouver is 1-1-1 with losses to Detroit (regulation) and Edmonton (shootout).
Buffalo Sabres
Record: 2-0 | Division: t-2nd | League: t-2nd
(xGF%) Expected Goals-For Percentage: 67.24% (1st in the NHL)
(5v5 GF%) 5v5 Goals-For Percentage: 50.00% (t-14th in the NHL)
Vancouver Canucks
Record: 1-1-1 | Division: t-3rd | League: 17th
(xGF%) Expected Goals-For Percentage: 46.42% (22nd in the NHL)
(5v5 GF%) 5v5 Goals-For Percentage: 50.00% (t-14 in the NHL)
Top Scorers:
JT Miller (VAN) — 3GP | 1G | 4PTS
Cody Eakin (BUF) — 2GP | 1G | 1A | 2PTS
News/Notes:
Vancouver is without star winger, Brock Boeser who is on injured-reserve.
This game will mark the 200th of Rasmus Dahlin’s career.
Cody Eakin has points in back-to-back games.
Expected Lines:
Skinner-Cozens-Hinostroza
Asplund-Thompson-Olofsson
Bjork-Ruotsalainen-Caggiula
Girgensons-Eakin-Okposo
Dahlin-Butcher
Bryson-Miller
Hagg-Pysyk
Anderson
Week Ahead
Friday, October 22nd vs Boston | 7 PM
Saturday, October 23rd vs New Jersey | 7 PM
Monday, October 25th vs Tampa Bay | 7 PM