The Buffalo Sabers have hit the mark just in time for Christmas.
On Thursday night, Swedish time, the team collected their fourth straight victory when they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 at home in the KeyBank Center.
The win – and the game for that matter – was also the Sabres’ first since Jarmo Kekäläinen replaced Kevyn Adams as the club’s general manager on Monday.
– It has been tough to lose a GM you have a good relationship with, team captain Rasmus Dahlin told ESPN after the game. But now it’s about turning the page, moving on and continuing to build on this.
The highlight of the match against the Flyers came 16:54 into the second period when it was Dahlin who released the puck between his own legs to Tage Thompson who coolly waited for the Flyers goalie and splashed the puck behind Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson.
The assist point was Dahlin’s 300th in the NHL – a record he was third fastest of all Swedish defensemen of all time, after Börje Salming (469 games) and Erik Karlsson (502 games).
Dahlin reached 300 assists in his 539th game.
In total in his NHL career, the 25-year-old, who was selected by the Sabers as the first player overall in the 2018 NHL draft, has accounted for 386 points (86+300) over his almost eight seasons in the league.
– I’m just at the beginning of my career, said Dahlin to ESPN after the game. I know I have a lot left to give.
The Sabers (15-14-4, 34 points) are, despite the winning streak, still five points below the playoff mark in the Eastern Conference.
