BUFFALO – In the waning minutes of Sunday’s 4-1 loss, Vegas Golden Knights winger Victor Olofsson slickly undressed Rasmus Dahlin outside the Buffalo blue line before the Sabres captain slashed his former teammate as he zoomed to the net.
Dahlin skated to the penalty box, his forgettable afternoon over after he compiled a minus-3 rating.
The Swede, whose Sabres close a four-game home stand Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning at KeyBank Center, has run hot and cold early this season.
“I think most of my areas have to improve,” Dahlin said following Tuesday’s practice.
Of course, Dahlin still ranks among the NHL’s most dynamic defensemen. But he hasn’t been an electric presence game in and game out like last season, when he finished third in the Norris Trophy balloting.
“I think he’s just trying to find that consistent level,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “There’s been great games, and there’s been games where there’s been mistakes, obviously.
“But he’s trying to … be consistent every night. It’s not for lack of effort.”
Dahlin, who recently missed three games with an upper-body injury, is hardly alone. Players up and down the lineup have sometimes underperformed. As a result, the Sabres have struggled to showcase consistency.
They often follow up strong outings with losses. Other than their recent three-game win streak, they’ve won two consecutive contests just one other time.
On Friday, they played arguably their most complete game this season, beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2. On Sunday, they imploded after a terrific opening 30 minutes and fell to below .500 at home (4-5-0).
“We’ve had really good games, both as a team and also individual,” said Dahlin, who has compiled three goals, 10 points and a plus-2 rating in 14 games this season. “Like, really, really good team games. You look at (Tage Thompson) had a five-point night, every individual.
“But it’s not consistent, so we have to find that. We’re … (17) games in. It’s time now to get better, but we got time.”
True, it’s still early. The Sabres have 67 games left. They began Tuesday’s schedule having earned 19 points (8-6-3), putting them one point behind the Florida Panthers for the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot.
Still, Tampa Bay, an Atlantic Division foe, has registered 24 points. The Sabres, who compiled a 3-0-1 mark against the Lightning a year ago, can ill afford to suffer a regulation loss Wednesday.
As they morphed into a heavyweight last season, the Sabres became fierce rivals with the Lightning. The teams’ March 8 meeting here, a wildly entertaining, fight-filled 7-6 victory, ranks as one of the Sabres’ most memorable games in recent memory.
Perhaps the Lightning’s first visit this season can ignite Dahlin and the Sabres.
KeyBank Center, which is packed again every night, became one of the NHL’s toughest rinks for visitors last year as the Sabres compiled a 26-10-5 home record.
Dahlin said the Sabres, who have scored just 21 goals at home, the league’s fourth-lowest total, “have to keep it simple.”
“We have to do the little things right,” he said. “I think when we do that, we create a lot offensively. That’s in my game, too. I think it goes down throughout the whole team. So details, I think that’s what going to be important moving forward.”
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Six weeks into the season, Jiri Kulich hasn’t found any rhythm. Following nearly a year on the sideline recovering from a blood clot, the Sabres forward has suffered some early setbacks, most notably a concussion that forced him to miss five games.
In two appearances since returning, Kulich has struggled a bit, so it appears he will be a healthy scratch for Wednesday’s game.
The Czech skated as an extra during Tuesday’s practice. Ryan McLeod, a healthy scratch the last two games, would replace him.
Ruff said Kulich, 22, is “still searching for his game.”
“I believe he still has it,” Ruff said. “It just might take time.”
Kulich, a healthy scratch once earlier this season, also missed one game when he felt sick and returned to Buffalo to undergo testing.
“You hope that you can get back to your game after a year off,” Ruff said. “I think there’s two factors now: he came back, he got hurt, sat out some games. Then he got hurt again.”
The youngster has compiled one goal and three points this season.
Ruff wants Kulich to showcase a “B game.”
“Whether it’s hanging onto pucks a little more, getting above the puck, playing well away from the puck that sometimes can create extra chances,” he said. “And then when you have it, don’t complicate things, but what’s the next play you can make?”
McLeod centered Jason Zucker and Josh Doan during Tuesday’s session.
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Ruff said goalie Alex Lyon, who has missed all season with a left shoulder injury, is “on target to join us soon” and will accompany the Sabres on their six-game road trip that begins Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks.