Buffalo N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres snapped a three-game losing streak this past Sunday with a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in the middle of their three-game road trip.
In the win, defensemen Rasmus Dahlin, once again, showcased his talent with a goal and two assists for Buffalo. With Tage Thompson out for some extended time due to a wrist injury, Dahlin has stepped up his play from the blue line, putting up four points in the last two games.
During his weekly appearance on the "Jeremy and Joe Show" on Tuesday, Sabres head coach Don Granato says he's looking forward to seeing more of the great play from Dahlin.
"We want more of that. I personally want more of that," said Granato on Tuesday with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase on WGR. "You know how I felt about him when I came into this position a couple of years ago. That was a guy we needed to get going. And that is a guy, to me, that has an entirely whole 'nother level. He has the foundation of defending down now, he's an incredible defender."
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Granato did not hesitate in playing Dahlin on Sunday. The 23-year-old ended up logging 28:59 of total ice time, even with the team dressing seven defensemen for the game. And it's not just his offensive production that has stood out to Granato.
"'Ras' is so good defensively now that we need to unleash him even more offensively," Granato said. "He just has so much more in them, and it's nice to see him as he was the other night with a goal and two assists in a 3-2 game."
The Sabres have rolling with seven defensemen in recent games, because of the play of rookie blue liner Ryan Johnson, who has provided some stability from the back end. Granato says playing seven defensemen is not a problem, but rather a good challenge for his group going forward.
"We need to be challenged, our roster needs to be challenged," he said. "We've got to move up-and-up-and-up, and when guys feel proud of what they've done - they should feel proud of what they've done, they put some work in - you tend to not realize you're not fighting for more-and-more. So competition in your lineup is really important for us specifically right now, as we try to move up to the next rung."
Hear more from Granato's appearance during the "Jeremey and Joe Show" available in the player below:
