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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) celebrates his goal with defenseman Bowen Byram (4) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo\/Jeffrey T. Barnes)<\/p>\n
BUFFALO, N.Y. \u2014 Rasmus Dahlin scrunched his eyebrows, appearing genuinely baffled by the question.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s pest?\u201d the Buffalo Sabres captain asked, repeating the label the defenseman has suddenly attracted following his involvement in two recent on-ice scuffles.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, that\u2019s not who I\u2019m trying to be,\u201d Dahlin said upon being informed a pest is someone who enjoys getting under an opponent\u2019s skin. \u201cI compete out there. And some guys don\u2019t like that. But I don\u2019t consider me a pest. Sometimes guys get angry. And I can\u2019t really do anything about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tell that to Evgeni Malkin. The Pittsburgh Penguins forward is still serving a five-game NHL suspension for a two-handed stick chop that just missed Dahlin\u2019s face in response to being cross-checked in the back in Buffalo\u2019s 5-1 win on March 5.<\/p>\n
Or how about Brandon Hagel. The Tampa Bay Lightning forward is $5,000 poorer after being fined by the NHL for attacking Dahlin from behind after the two exchanged shoves during Buffalo\u2019s 8-7 win on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve actually seen some stuff online about that. And I think it\u2019s (not true),\u201d Dahlin said of his budding reputation. \u201cI\u2019ve always competed. I think maybe because we\u2019re winning and we have a little more spotlight.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sabres are indeed on a roll, having won 29 of 37 that\u2019s led them to jump from last in the Eastern Conference standings to atop the Atlantic Division entering Friday.<\/p>\n
And Dahlin has been in the thick of it all.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s leading Buffalo in averaging 24 minutes, 28 seconds of ice time per outing. He\u2019s second on the Sabres with 60 points. And Dahlin\u2019s feistiness is an indication of how determined the eighth-year player is to finally end Buffalo\u2019s NHL-record 14-season playoff drought.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s enjoying this right now. He\u2019s enjoying the winning. He\u2019s enjoying the battle. He\u2019s enjoying the grind of it,\u201d coach Lindy Ruff said. \u201cHe\u2019s really relishing this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fianc\u00e9e recovering from heart transplant<\/p>\n
What\u2019s also not lost on the Sabres is how Dahlin has impacted the team\u2019s trajectory during his most emotionally trying season.<\/p>\n
Upon reporting for training camp in September, Dahlin revealed his fianc\u00e9e, Carolina Matovac, nearly died when her heart failed while the couple vacationed in France. Months later, Matovac revealed in a social media post of being pregnant at the time, and her unborn child playing \u201ca vital role\u201d in leading to the discovery of her heart issue.<\/p>\n
Matovac continues recovering from heart transplant surgery in Sweden, while Dahlin has stayed mostly in Buffalo \u2014 aside from a few brief trips home.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, I can\u2019t even imagine what he\u2019s going through mentally every day,\u201d defenseman Mattias Samuelsson said. \u201cI think it\u2019s the most impressive thing I\u2019ve seen. And then to come in and perform what he does on top of it all, it\u2019s super impressive. It almost like he brings the group into the fight even more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dahlin\u2019s never lacked for skill. The No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft has been pegged as a star since he was a 16-year-old playing in the Swedish Elite League.<\/p>\n
And he\u2019s always brought a physical element to his game. It was evident in one of his first practices in Buffalo, when Dahlin leveled fellow rookie Matej Pekar with an open-ice hit. It appeared to be in retaliation for getting high-sticked by Pekar, though Dahlin called it a mere coincidence.<\/p>\n
There have been times when Dahlin\u2019s frustrations have boiled over with undisciplined penalties or the times he\u2019s splintered his stick by smashing it on the crossbar following an opponent\u2019s goal.<\/p>\n
Much like the Sabres\u2019 losing ways, those moments appear to be in the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there were times last year he went too far,\u201d Ruff said. \u201cBut we haven\u2019t seen that (this year). He\u2019s got his game and the emotional impact he can put on a game in the right place.\u201d<\/p>\n
More determined than ever<\/p>\n
Center Tage Thompson is proud of his teammate, and said this is the most determined the 25-year-old Dahlin has been during his eight seasons in Buffalo.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s our leader in this room,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a coincidence the year that we\u2019re having and him taking an even greater step this season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dahlin dismissed the attention and praise.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlaying on a good team, as simple as that,\u201d he said of his production.<\/p>\n
As for Buffalo finally being in contention, he said: \u201cWe have so much talent in this room, it was just a matter of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
And yet Dahlin will attest to how much he\u2019s enjoying the Sabres\u2019 turnaround amid what lingering personal worries he has back home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means the world,\u201d Dahlin said, his voice echoing through an empty locker room well after a 6-3 win over San Jose on Wednesday. \u201cWe\u2019re in the race and we\u2019re playing meaningful games. I can\u2019t be more happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
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