"It's a brotherhood" | Tuch, Sabres show fight in SO loss to Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. – Rasmus Dahlin blocked a shot as the final second of overtime ticked off the clock at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday, a fitting conclusion to a night of team-first sacrifice from the Buffalo Sabres and their captain.

The Sabres lost 3-2 to the Florida Panthers in the shootout, but the ingredients of the game – physical responses to a questionable hit on rookie Jiri Kulich and gutsy blocked shots on the penalty kill – made for a hard-earned point on the road.

“There was a lot of good when it comes to jumping in there and keeping the team nice and tight and looking after each other,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said.

“It was a real team effort out there,” Dahlin added.

The Sabres were trailing 2-0 late in the second period when Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich hit Kulich in the neutral zone, briefly sending the Sabres rookie to the dressing room (he returned before the end of the period).

Zach Benson immediately jumped in to confront Gadjovich after the hit, with Dahlin joining in soon after. A long scrum ensued involving all 10 skaters on the ice.

“I thought the response was exactly what you need,” Ruff said. “A tough hit. Debatable whether it was clean or not, but tough hit.”

Gadjovich was initially sent to the penalty box, but the call was rescinded by officials following a video review. Ruff said the officials ruled that Kulich had touched the puck before he was hit and, as a result, there was no interference.

“They’re claiming that it did touch his stick,” Ruff said. “I’ve watched it a few times. I’m not going to debate over whether it hit or it just barely touched his stick or not.”

The Sabres instead took the onus of policing the play themselves. Alex Tuch dropped the gloves with Gadjovich – a player with 35 fights on his resume in the last four seasons – to start the third period.

“It’s a brotherhood here,” Tuch said. “We’re family here and if one guy gets taken out, I know that there were four or five of us that, given the opportunity, would’ve went with a pretty tough customer. No one in here is labeled a fighter, but we’re ready and willing to step up as a team when needed to.”

The extra-curriculars continued from there. Dahlin took down Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe in the corner and was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking. The Sabres responded with a successful penalty kill, improving to 3-for-3 on the night.

Midway through the period, a scrum broke out in front of the Buffalo bench involving Tage Thompson and Uvis Balinskis. Once again, Dahlin and Benson got involved, drawing additional minor penalties on A.J. Greer in the process.

The result was a 5-on-3 power play, on which Dahlin set up JJ Peterka for the game-tying goal with 7:52 remaining in regulation. (Peterka has now scored goals in three straight games.)

Anton Lundell scored the lone goal in the shootout to claim the victory for Florida.

“We just stuck with it the whole game and eventually we got a 5-on-3, and we scored on that one,” Dahlin said. “Patience was the key today and hard battles. It sucks that we lost, but it was a good one point.”

Here’s more from the win.

1. Owen Power did not return for the third period due to a lower-body injury, which he sustained during a collision with Carter Verhaeghe. Ruff said Power is unlikely to play in Tampa on Sunday.

2. Dahlin skated a game-high 28:20, picking up some of the slack with the Sabres down to five defensemen for the final 20 minutes. He scored a goal and an assist for his fifth multi-point outing in the last eight games.

Dahlin’s goal, which gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead with 18.8 seconds remaining in the first period, was the result of an end-to-end rush on a power play. Dahlin carried the puck into the heart of the Florida penalty kill, dished left to Jason Zucker, then buried a return feed.

“He’s a beast,” Tuch said. “He was controlling the game tonight. Defensively, offensively. Two-point night. He showed tonight why he’s one of the best defensemen in the world.”

3. Beck Malenstyn helped kill off an early penalty when he blocked a Verhaeghe shot near the throat area. In visible discomfort, he then kicked his leg out to try and block a second Verhaeghe shot as he fell to the ice.

“He’s a warrior,” Tuch said. “That guy will jump in front of any puck.”

Malenstyn didn’t miss a shift, either. He was back on the ice just over a minute later and went on to skate 10:12 in the game.

4. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves in his first start since April 6.

“I thought he gave us a solid game,” Ruff said. “Probably a game that, looking over the last month or so, might have been one of his best.”

Up next

The Sabres play their final road game of the season in Tampa on Sunday. Coverage on MSG begins at 5:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 6.