Dahlin irked by slow start vs. Vegas: 'Can't be a young team anymore'
Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin is sick of learning the same old lessons after a slow start doomed his team during Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
"Started too late," the star defenseman lamented postgame. "It just cannot happen in this league. You have to be ready at the first whistle. They rolled over us in the first period and then we started playing good again, but too late. We have to be better. This is not acceptable."
He added, "We have to come to the realization that we can't be a young team anymore. We have to learn the little things that all the vets know about. We have to step up. We can't do this."
Golden Knights forward Tanner Laczynski opened the scoring less than five minutes into the contest with his first goal of the season, and captain Mark Stone doubled Vegas' lead before the horn sounded on the stanza.
Buffalo mustered just 10 shots through the first 40 minutes but improved in the final frame, outshooting the Golden Knights 14-7. While Jason Zucker got the Sabres on the board, it wasn't enough to get them back into the game.
"The compete is the main thing," Dahlin said when asked about the difference in the third period. "Win battles. Keep it simple. Pucks to the net. That's the stuff that works. We have to understand that that's what we have to do."
Buffalo generated 62 shot attempts during the contest but directed just 24 shots on net at all strengths, according to Natural Stat Trick.
"We miss the net way too often," head coach Lindy Ruff said. "We start the second period with a two-on-one 1:30 (in). We didn't have a great first period and we got a chance right there, an A-plus chance that turned into nothing. That sums up our puck play."
The Sabres snapped a 13-game losing streak in late December and went on to win three straight contests, but Saturday's loss marked their third consecutive defeat.
"I just feel like the main thing in this league, you cannot be satisfied," Dahlin said. "When you start being satisfied after a good game, it's not a good thing. Every day is a new day, and we really have to learn that."
The Sabres will take on the Washington Capitals on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.