Sabres' Rasmus Dahlin: Absence was planned

Dahlin's absence from Saturday's 3-1 loss to Boston was planned, according to coach Lindy Ruff. The 24-year-old defenseman returned from a back injury Friday.

Dahlin logged 27:33 of ice time in Friday's 6-3 loss to Toronto, but Ruff didn't want him to play on consecutive days so soon after returning from injury. Dahlin missed seven straight games from Dec. 5-17. He'll presumably be back in the lineup for Monday's tilt against the Islanders, which might result in Jacob Bryson, who logged 13:56 of ice time versus the Bruins, being a healthy scratch.