Pittsburgh, Pa. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres have one player in the NHL All-Star Game, and Jeff Skinner or Casey Mittelstadt could be voted in by the fans.
Festivities in Toronto will run between Feb. 1 and 3.
Rasmus Dahlin will be making his third NHL All-Star Game appearance in-a-row, which means a lot to him.
"It’s really cool. It’s something you dream about when you’re a kid, and it’s something you are really proud of," said Dahlin following Thursday's 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
Dahlin’s 11 goals this season are the most amongst defensemen in the NHL, and his 31 points ranks seventh.
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I’m not a huge plus/minus guy, because the stat doesn’t mean a lot, but Dahlin’s minus-14 stands alone on this team among the defensemen. The next-worst on the team would be Mattias Samuelsson at minus-3.
The rest of the Sabres' defensive group are in the plus category, with Erik Johnson and Owen Power leading the defense at plus-4.
Sabres head coach Don Granato has always been Dahlin’s biggest supporter, and has stuck with him through thick and thin. He is very happy for his defenseman.
"He is an All-Star," said Granato on Thursday after Buffalo's win. "He’s obviously had a tremendous year here for us. He’s an extremely competitive guy, and is hard on himself.
"He has internal drive, which is something that leaders have and teams need. Other guys would be good to follow his way, so he’s very deserving."
Granato often talks about how competitive of a player Dahlin is.
"It’s everything, I know I’ve said that quite a bit, and that’s a habit. It’s part of your daily routine for Rasmus," Granato said. "He elevates compete in our games, he elevates compete in our practices, and he does so with consistency. He never not competes, and that’s why he is such a great player. That’s why he’s such a great leader."
We all know this has been a season of ups-and-downs, and Granato feels Dahlin puts a lot of pressure on himself because of it.
"He carries a lot of stress, feels a lot of pressure, so he puts a lot on his back," he said. "That’s why as a coach, we have to have the conversation of what to let go. But he’s a leader, and he pushed other guys. Part of growth is learning how to do that, and he’s gotten better at that. But he certainly commands the respect of the room because of everything we just said."
The NHL Fan Vote for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game goes through next Thursday, Jan. 11.
In practice on Friday, both Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway were absent due to illness. Their status for Saturday's game in Pittsburgh is day-to-day.
Granato is leaning towards Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in goal on Saturday, as he wants to stay with the rotation of goalies. Both his netminders are coming off excellent games.
