BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff on Monday listed captain Rasmus Dahlin as day to day after leaving the game with an injury, while adding the defenseman won’t initially join the team for its three-game road trip.
Without revealing the exact nature of the injury, Ruff said Dahlin was hurt in following through on taking a shot early in the second period of a 5-3 win against the Florida Panthers.
Ruff said Dahlin can receive better treatment by staying home with the team immediately heading to Montreal for a game against the Canadiens on Tuesday night. The Sabres then play at Toronto on Thursday before closing the trip back in Montreal on Saturday.
Dahlin scored his second goal of the season in the first period.
Meantime, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said starting goalie Jacob Markstrom was pulled after the first period when he felt something tighten up.
“There’s no injury there. ... Just standard stuff,” Maurice said.
Markstrom allowed two goals on 11 shots and was replaced by Akira Schmid to open the second period. It's unclear if he will be healthy enough to start or even serve as Schmid's backup in Florida's game at Columbus on Tuesday night.
Florida acquired the 36-year-old Markstrom in a trade with New Jersey to be the starter after failing to re-sign Sergei Bobrovsky, who left Florida to sign with Toronto in free agency.
Following the game, the Sabres announced acquiring defensemen Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch in a trade that dealt blue-liner Ryan Johnson to Pittsburgh.
The 29-year-old Jones opened this season in the minors after clearing waivers last month and has appeared in 255 NHL games with five teams. Last season, he served a 20-game NHL suspension for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
Johnson struggled establishing a role in Buffalo. Selected 31st by the Sabres in the 2019 draft, the University of Minnesota product has spent a majority of the previous two seasons in the minors after having seven assists in 41 games with Buffalo in 2023-24.
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