Sabres Defeat Panthers But Lose Rasmus Dahlin To Upper-Body Injury
The Buffalo Sabres came out ahead against the Florida Panthers 5-3 last night. Victory against the former Stanley Cup champions is worthy of flowers, as the Sabres continue to trend upwards, despite missing goaltender Alex Lyon, who is out on injured reserve.
Last night's game was a stellar performance for the Sabres, who put up 2 goals in the first period, 1 in the second, and finished off the once-reigning Panthers with 2 in the third.
But their victory could be viewed as pyrrhic, as they lost top defenseman Ramus Dahlin to an upper-body injury at 3:29 ito the second period after taking a slap shot to the face.
"Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said Dahlin is day-to-day and will not travel with the team for its game at the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, the start of a three-game road trip."
The lost of Dahlin would be massive for the Sabres, who depend on Dahlin to produce from the blueline, and has already come in 2026-27 at close to a point-per-game pace with 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 6 games in the top pair.
Dahlin's contributions that night led to the team taking the lead 2-1 at 15:55 into the second period on the power-play.
"Dahlin made it 2-1 on the power play at 15:55 with a one-timer from above the slot that got past Markstrom high to the blocker side."
Rasmus Dahlin won't return to today's game vs Florida due to an upper body injury.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 12, 2026
Caleb Jones Slots In
It was reported by Derek Heid on X, that 255-game NHL defenseman Caleb Jones was acquired by the Buffalo Sabres in Dahlin's absence and could fill the void while the Swedish blueliner is out.
Rasmus Dahlin won't return to today's game vs Florida due to an upper body injury.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 12, 2026
The trade sent defenseman Ryan Johnson to Pittsburgh in return, as the Sabres received defenseman Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch.
In 244 NHL games, Jones has scored 56 points (14 goals, 42 assists) and has suited up for the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins, and now potentially the Buffalo Sabres.