Rasmus Dahlin loses the no-contact jersey

Great news for fans of the Buffalo Sabres as defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is back to full-contact practice. According to Sabres reporter Paul Hamilton, he may be back in the lineup as early as Thursday, depending on how he feels after getting banged around in practice today. 

Despite missing eight games with a concussion, Dahlin still leads Buffalo’s defensemen with 16 points. The next closest is Rasmus Ristolainen, who has 14 points. Buffalo has managed to go 4-3-1 without Dahlin in the lineup, but you can bet the team is excited to get the former first-overall pick back on the ice where be belongs.

Following yesterday’s practice, where he was still wearing a no contact jersey, Dahlin noted that sitting in the press box and watching games has been “pretty weird” but added the stretch has been really helpful as he’s been learning a lot from watching the game and not playing it. Ultimately, he’s tried his hardest to make the best of a bad situation.

If anyone needs their memory jogged, Dahlin suffered a concussion after a blatant elbow from Tampa Bay’s Erik Cernak during a game on November 25^th. Cernak was not penalized on the play but received a two-game suspension the next day.

Should Dahlin get in the lineup tomorrow, his first game back will come against the Nashville Predators. Buffalo takes on Tampa Bay again on New Year’s Eve at KeyBank Center. 

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