The Buffalo Sabres took a hit in the middle of a key early-season divisional matchup Monday, when captain Rasmus Dahlin left the game against the Florida Panthers with an upper-body injury.
The team announced the injury after Dahlin exited the Sabres’ matinee contest. The 26-year-old had opened his season on a productive note, coming into Monday with three points in four games.
Dahlin’s status arrives on the heels of another standout year for the Swedish defenseman. In the 2025-26 campaign, he helped guide Buffalo to its first Stanley Cup Playoff berth since 2012 and finished third in Norris Trophy voting, his highest career placement for the league’s top defenseman.
He backed up that recognition with a huge season at both ends of the rink, finishing with 74 points on 19 goals and 55 assists in 77 games. Dahlin added 14 more points in the playoffs, scoring four goals and setting up 10 others in 13 postseason appearances as Buffalo reached the second round.
He is in the third season of an eight-year contract that has already turned into one of the NHL’s better bargains. Dahlin’s cap hit is $11 million, a number that looks even friendlier as the league’s elite defensemen move toward deals north of $20 million.
Buffalo, meanwhile, has had a slow start as it tries to build on last season’s breakthrough. Entering Monday’s game, the Sabres were 2-3-0, and their four points had them seventh in the Atlantic Division, ahead of only the Detroit Red Wings.
In Other News...
Panthers Get A Key Lineup Boost Before Tough Road Back To Back
Florida is heading into a demanding back-to-back road trip with a little more breathing room than it had after its first regulation loss of the season. The Panthers have been one of the leagues more steady five-on-five teams, and they also laid out their practice lines ahead of upcoming games against Buffalo and Columbus, a useful sign as the schedule tightens and the travel picks up.
Eetu Luostarinens status is the bigger relief for a club that briefly held its breath when he exited the previous game after taking a shot. He took part in practice and is expected to be available, which matters for a lineup that has leaned on its depth and stability early on. Florida opens the trip Monday in Buffalo and then turns right around for Tuesdays meeting in Columbus, so having Luostarinen trending in the right direction is a timely boost. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Finally Get A Look At Their Most Intriguing New Combo
Paul Maurice has been tinkering with a look that could give Florida a very different edge, sliding Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk alongside Sam Bennett. The Panthers coach has spent enough time searching for the right combinations to know when something has a little juice to it, and this one has already shown a flash of the kind of energy Maurice has been after.
The three briefly surfaced together in a recent game, and even in that short stretch the line made itself felt in a way that fit Floridas personality. There is a natural edge when the Tkachuks are on the ice at the same time, and Maurice is now set to give the setup another run against Buffalo, with the Panthers curious to see whether a burst of physicality can turn into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Power Play Suddenly Looks Like A Problem They Can't Ignore
The early-season numbers have been hard to ignore for Florida, and the power play is sitting near the top of that list for all the wrong reasons. Through the opening stretch of the 2024-25 season, the Panthers have had trouble turning extra chances into momentum, and coach Paul Maurice has already pointed to broader issues in the teams play, from defensive lapses to a lack of finishing. He has been working through different line combinations in search of something that settles the unit down and makes it more dangerous.
Buffalo comes in with its own shaky power-play start, so this meeting offers a chance for both clubs to find a little traction with the man advantage. For the Panthers, though, the concern is bigger than one matchup. When a team built to control games spends this much time chasing the simplest conversion, it becomes a problem that can spill into every shift, and Florida does not look ready to let that slide much longer. [Read more 🡒]