This blog format focuses on isolating the shifts of an individual Sabres player. Tonight’s highlighted player is defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. In addition to thoughts on each shift, priority is given to tracking zone deployment, shots for-and-against, as well as shot attempts both for-and-against.

Here’s your overall game recap if you’re looking for it: The Sabres were bad! They lost 5-0 and it wasn’t Dustin Tokarski’s fault. They were just bad!

Anyway, let’s get back to tracking Dahlin:

Shift 1: Neutral zone change on-the-fly. Dahlin is challenged immediately as the play transitions his direction which results in a shot against. The puck cycles around and Mikael Backlund rushes the slot to back off Dahlin. Shot against.

Shift 2: Neutral zone change on the fly. Dahlin can’t coral the puck behind the net which leads to a shot attempt against. A failed clearing attempt leads to a shot against and another shot against on the rebound.

Shift 3: Defensive zone faceoff. Following a flurry of three shots against, Jeff Skinner transitions the puck up ice for a Sabres shot attempt by Tage Thompson.

Shift 4: Neutral zone change on the fly. Dahlin lost his man Matthew Tkachuk in front of the Sabres net which led to a prime scoring chance against.

Shift 5: Following the TV timeout, Don Granato immediately puts Dahlin back on the ice for a defensive zone draw. Dahlin outlets for Kyle Okposo who managed a shot-attempt for the Sabres.

Shift 6: Defensive zone faceoff. Dahlin retrieves the puck and pushes it to center ice and dumps it in. Flames recover and Lucic feeds a pass in front for a shot against.

Shift 7: Offensive zone start. Dahlin gets the puck at the point and makes a nice dipsy doodle move around the defender, dumps the puck back to Pysyk who passes it to Thompson for the shot.

Shift 8: Neutral zone change on the fly. Flames ice it for the faceoff in the offensive zone. Dahlin keeps it in at the point and feeds it around to Okposo who lets a shot go.

Shift 9: Neutral zone change on the fly. Shot against, followed by a Dahlin pass to Pysyk who ices the puck. Following the faceoff, Dahlin attempts to knock a puck down and ends up deflecting the puck on Tokarski for a shot against.

Shift 10: Neutral Zone change on the fly. Thompson gives away the puck, Elias Lindholm charges down the left side and Dahlin does a nice job to box him out. Lindholm drops for a shot-attempt against.

Shift 11: Defensive zone start. Failed clear by Dahlin. He then retrieves the puck and makes a nice move to exit the zone cleanly.

First Period Thoughts: I counted 10 shots against with Dahlin on the ice, with 2 shots for. Dahlin wasn’t on the ice for any goals either for or against. He found himself hemmed quite often as his defensive deployment was very high. He only had one offensive zone draw in the frame.

Shift 12: Opening faceoff goes into the Flames zone for a low cycle. No result.

Shift 13: Center ice faceoff following goal. Thompson gave the puck away in the defensive zone but it was recovered and sent the other way

Shift 14: Neutral zone change on the fly. Pysyk generates a Sabres shot-for. Later in the shift, Dahlin made a nice outlet pass to Vinnie Hinostroza which generated a shot for.

Shift 15: Neutral zone faceoff. Flames create pressure and Dahlin clears the puck out to no one in the Flames zone. No icing.

Shift 16: Neutral zone faceoff. The Sabres cycle in the offensive zone with the Cozens line. Pysyk manages a weak shot.

Shift 17: Power play. Dahlin mans the puck nicely at the point and the team manages two shots for.

Shift 18: Dahlin brings the puck into the zone at the end of the power play after taking a breather.

Shift 19: Neutral zone draw. Don Granato switched up his defensive pairings and Dahlin is now playing with Will Butcher. Dahlin drives the play into the offensive zone, but the puck goes back the other way for a Flames 2-on-1 and they score.

Shift 20: Power play. Offensive draw. No one moving and the power play can’t generate anything.

Shift 21: End of power play results in a rush and a shot from Dahlin.

Second Period Thoughts: It’s unfortunate that Dahlin had a goal scored against him following perhaps his best offensive shift of the night. The Sabres need Dahlin pushing the play into the offensive zone as he did on the goal against, but other Sabres need to be in position to cover for him and prevent an odd-man situation going the other way. Will Butcher is not a good candidate to play with Dahlin.

Shift 22: Center ice to start the third period. Dahlin and Mark Pysyk are reunited. Dahlin feeds it to Pysyk who rings it off the crossbar. The Sabres then get hemmed in their own zone and Dahlin executes a long, looping clearing attempt. No icing.

Shift 23: Neutral-zone faceoff. Dahlin ices the puck, the Sabres recover and exit the zone.

Shift 24: Neutral-zone faceoff. Dahlin enters the zone and has a point shot blocked.

Shift 25: Neutral-zone faceoff. Dahlin has his best defensive shift of the night as he challenges Coleman on a one-on-one situation. Dahlin wins that battle and breaks up the play. The play goes up ice, but then comes back to the Sabres zone and Dahlin cleanly breaks up a 2-on-1 situation.

Shift 26: Neutral Zone. Pysyk ices the puck.

Shift 27: Neutral-zone change on the fly. Dahlin and Butcher have a shot against.

Shift 28: With the Sabres down 5-0 Granato and company decide to pair Dahlin with Jacob Bryson. Dahlin creates an excellent opportunity for John Hayden as Dahlin skates behind the Flames net and dishes it in front.

Two more uneventful shifts.

Third Period and Closing Thoughts: Dahlin ended up playing the game with three different defensive partners in Pysyk, Butcher and Bryson. Butcher is clearly not a good fit for Dahlin. It would be interesting to see more of Bryson and Dahlin together until the Sabres get Henri Jokiharju back, or until they bring up Mattias Samuelsson. Dahlin didn’t have a bad game, really. He didn’t have a good game either, as he only generated a couple real offensive chances. On a grading scale, it was a 75. Dahlin was a non-factor in terms of the loss but couldn't do enough to generate a goal.

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