The Sabres will be short-handed in Montreal tonight, and the biggest name missing is Rasmus Dahlin.
Buffalo’s captain will not travel with the team for the game against the Canadiens as he continues to deal with an upper-body injury. He also sat out the last matchup between these two clubs on Tuesday, and his absence has been lingering since he left the October 12 game against Florida in the second period after blocking a shot.
Dahlin has posted two goals and four points in six games this season, carrying an $11 million cap hit. Without him, the Sabres are losing a key piece on a blue line that is already giving up 3.8 goals per game.
Buffalo may also be waiting on Jiri Kulich. The 22-year-old is still being evaluated after suffering a lower-body injury Thursday in the overtime win over Toronto, though the Sabres are hoping he can play. He has one goal, one assist, and a +2 rating in six games.
Even with those absences, Buffalo still has some firepower. Owen Power has eight points in eight games, while Tage Thompson leads the way with four goals.
The issue for the Sabres has not been top-end talent so much as depth. At 4-3-1, they’ve shown enough to win, but not enough to avoid these holes when injuries hit.
Montreal has its own injury picture to manage. Florian Xhekaj will be out for two weeks with a lower-body injury, according to Karine Hains, and he has appeared in only two games this season. Mike Matheson is day-to-day, and Ivan Demidov is expected back in a few days.
The Canadiens enter at 3-3-1 and are allowing 3.9 goals per game, but they already beat Buffalo 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday. Now they get the Sabres again at home, and that opens the door to another two points at the Bell Centre.
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What makes the situation more notable is that his name is no longer being framed only around on-ice production. Reports have suggested a trade is becoming a more realistic possibility, with other teams showing interest as Montreal weighs its options. For a player still in the middle of establishing his place with the Canadiens, that kind of attention adds another layer to an already uneasy stretch. [Read more 🡒]