Those plays were missing to start his third season. When Granato took over in mid-March, he gave Dahlin a green light to act on his instincts. His way to play was how I learned to play hockey, Dahlin said after the season. But the thing I felt was that he trusted me as a player. He really saw what my potential was, and I felt comfortable playing out there. I wasn t thinking too much.
Mittelstadt found himself answering regular questions about Dahlin s plays, be it the defenseman s highlight-reel goal against the Devils or a no-look breakout pass that freed Mittelstadt for a 2-on-1 goal against the New York Rangers.
5 Takeaways: Islanders Lose 4-3 to Buffalo in Shootout
The Islanders leave Buffalo with one point after dropping a 4-3 decision in a shootout against the Sabres on Tuesday by Sasha Kandrach @KandrachSasha / NewYorkIslanders.com
The New York Islanders lost 4-3 in a shootout against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night in the second leg of their back-to-back set at KeyBank Center. It was a disappointing trip for the Islanders, who looked to close out their regular-season series against Buffalo on a winning note. After entering the two-game set with a 6-0-0 record, they instead finished with just a point and a 6-1-1 season-series record against the Sabres.
Worth mentioning
-Miller returned to the lineup and picked up an assist after sitting out the past four games. He replaced William Borgen on a pair with Jacob Bryson.
-Before the game, the Sabres signed goaltender Stefanos Lakkos to a one-year contract. He served as the backup on Monday and Tuesday. He had signed a PTO prior to Monday s game.
Lakkos posted a 7-2-2 record with a .914 save percentage and 2.15 goals-against average this season for the Fort Wayne Komets prior to joining the Rochester Americans (AHL), where he s appeared in seven games.
-Buffalo finish the home portion of the 2020-21 schedule with a record of 8-16-4 at KeyBank Center.