BUFFALO – In last Wednesday’s quarterfinal game between Team Sweden and Team USA at the Olympics, Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said center Tage Thompson, his close friend and NHL teammate, had an opportunity to thump him.
“He decided not to hit me one time in the corner … so that was nice,” Dahlin said following Monday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter, his first session after returning from the Milano Cortina Games. “I think he had a bomb when I was on the ice, too. So he’s a stud.”
Sweden lost to the U.S. 2-1 in overtime, ending Dahlin’s tournament. Meanwhile, Thompson and the Americans earned the gold medal Sunday by beating Team Canada 2-1 in a memorable overtime contest.
Of course, Dahlin, 25, is happy Thompson, who also won the World Championship last year, has added an Olympic gold to his collection.
“I’m fired up for him,” he said. “He really deserves it. He was a big part of that team.”
Thompson, 28, is a massive part of the Sabres, having scored 30 goals and 59 points in 57 games this season, offensive totals that lead the team.
When can the Sabres, who hold the Eastern Conference’s top wild card spot, expect to see him again?
They start a three-game road trip Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils, the beginning of a dizzying stretch of 25 games over 50 days to close the season.
Team USA returned from Italy on Monday, landing in Miami instead of New York because of the winter storm battering the Northeast. The team has also been invited to attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address in Washington.
Coach Lindy Ruff, whose Sabres also play Friday against the Florida Panthers and Saturday versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, did not want to speculate when Thompson might play again.
“I’m not really gonna say,” he said. “We really don’t have anything mapped out right now. I think it just all depends on how things go. He’s had an unbelievable experience. It’s going to be a tough two or three days for all of those guys – busy, really busy.”
While he fell short of his team goal – Sweden’s seventh-place finish left a “sour taste,” Dahlin said – he called his second Olympics an “awesome experience.”
“He’s in a great place,” Ruff said. “Physically, (he’s) in a great place. I think mentally, (he’s) disappointed when you’re there and you get to see and you watch the teams go to the medal round and medal. There’s got to be a feeling of, ‘I wish it could’ve been us.’”
Dahlin said he enjoyed hanging out with his teammates and speaking Swedish. Playing such high-stakes games from the get-go gave him a taste of what he will encounter down the stretch and if the Sabres crack the postseason.
“Almost every game was a must-win for us, so I got a better chance to work on handling emotions and handling pressure,” said Dahlin, who registered one goal and five points in five games as Sweden compiled a 3-2 record.
Late in that loss to the U.S., he fell hard on his back when Matthew Tkachuk took his skates out. Ruff acknowledged he was nervous when he saw his star defenseman go down.
Dahlin said he “was good to go” for overtime. Still, he did not play.
“It’s not my decision,” he said. “I wanted to be out there, that’s for sure.”
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Ruff said winger Zach Benson, who’s battling a different upper-body injury than the one he suffered when he crashed into the boards Feb. 2, likely won’t play on the upcoming road trip.
The coach said he would know more about Benson’s status later Monday.
Meanwhile, Ruff said goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) and center Josh Norris (upper body), both of whom have been practicing, can return Wednesday.