Following Rasmus Dahlin's five-point game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night, Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato predicted the defenseman won't be an All-Star snub for much longer.

"He was a force. I don't know (the site for All-Star voting). Whatever it is, there should be some clicks tonight because that was a special night by him," Granato told reporters after Buffalo's 6-5 victory. "To watch that unfold was impressive."

The league's department of hockey operations selected Tage Thompson to represent the Sabres during next month's festivities, but there are still three remaining spots on each lineup. An online fan vote will determine those slots.

Dahlin has put together an All-Star-calibre season. He currently ranks third among defensemen in scoring with 44 points (12 goals, 32 assists) in 36 games.

The 22-year-old also tied a franchise record for most points by a blue-liner in a single game Saturday. Dahlin forced overtime with his second goal of the game and chipped in with three assists, including on Victor Olofsson's winner.

Dahlin logged a team-high 29:25 of action against the Wild. He was about to leave the ice prior to factoring in on Olofsson's overtime dagger, but he stayed on after Minnesota defenseman Jonas Brodin went off to the races on a partial break.

"I have to play defense, I have to take responsibility," he said of his action-packed shift. "(Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen) made a great save (on Brodin), so thanks to him."

Granato wasn't surprised to hear about Dahlin's relentless drive.

"That's where you see his compete. ... I'm sure there was a shot of adrenaline through him at that moment, of feeling, 'Hey, I might feel exhausted, but that's an excuse. I gotta get a job done here.'

"And he's identifying better with how to get a job done positionally, technically, learning his position, learning the league. We've seen that as Sabres fans and us in our positions, we've seen the growth in him in just game knowledge and how to shut (teams) down, and it was all on display there."

Dahlin's next chance to build on his spectacular campaign will come Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

All-Star Game voting will be open until Jan. 17.

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The Washington Capitals will welcome a familiar face back to the lineup Sunday, with veteran pivot Nicklas Backstrom making his season debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Backstrom has been sidelined the entire 2022-23 season after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in June. The 35-year-old has dealt with hip issues for a large portion of his career. He missed the opening 28 games of last season while recovering from an injury and had arthroscopic surgery in 2015.

His resurfacing procedure was considered much more serious than previous operations.

Backstrom has spent his entire 15-year career with the Capitals after he was drafted fourth overall in 2006. He's racked up 1,011 points in 1,058 games with the franchise but struggled last season with a career-low 0.53 points-per-game average.

The Capitals have been hit hard with injuries this season, playing half the campaign without Backstrom and top-six fixture Tom Wilson. They've overcome the key absences in spades, though, currently holding the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 50 points.

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Jon Cooper criticized his Tampa Bay Lightning for failing to stay out of the penalty box during a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.

"It's a complete lack of discipline," the Bolts head coach said following the defeat. "It was embarrassing what we did. How many five-on-threes you're up against in one season, you (can) count on maybe one hand, and we gave them two minute-and-a-half five-on-threes in one game. Unacceptable.

"That shouldn't happen," Cooper continued. "Good on Winnipeg. Honestly, it was really a nothing game going on. That game could've been 0-0 and a shootout. They stayed disciplined, said, '(Let's) sit back and wait for Tampa to screw it up,' and they did."

Cooper expanded upon his thoughts when asked whether he expected the game to be so intense.

"Honestly, I didn't find that game intense at all," he said with a laugh. "Tell me what happened in the game other than us taking penalties and giving them opportunities."

The Jets scored on both five-on-three chances in their victory, adding an empty-netter while down two skaters after the Lightning pulled their goaltender on a power play. Pierre-Luc Dubois netted Winnipeg's first goal with the man advantage in the second period, and Kyle Connor buried the second to make it 3-2 for the Jets early in the third.

Morgan Barron potted the shorthanded empty-net tally with under two minutes left in regulation.

Tampa Bay fell to 24-13-1 this season. The team won three straight games to close out 2022 and beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Tuesday before losing 5-1 to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday. The Bolts still have a nine-point cushion for third place in the Atlantic Division, but the fourth-place Buffalo Sabres have two games in hand.

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