Buffalo Hockey Beat
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October Edition
BUFFALO – With Tuesday’s game tied in the final minutes of regulation, Sabres winger Josh Dunne grabbed the puck down low and single-handedly generated his own scoring chance.
Dunne, who scored his first NHL goal earlier in the period to restore the Sabres’ lead, utilized his 6-foot-4, 208-pound body to shield off defenders and move around before shooting on Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves.
“That’s my identity as a player is puck protecting and (to) use my strengths and use my body,” Dunne said following Wednesday’s practice in KeyBank Center.
While he couldn’t convert his opportunity in the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime loss, the heavy play illustrated where Dunne performs at his best.
“Top of the circles-down,” said coach Lindy Ruff, whose Sabres play a road game Thursday against the Boston Bruins. “A strong guy. Even the shift after they scored, they couldn’t take the puck away from him.”
Dunne, 25, has played 20 NHL games, including four with the Sabres this season. He has likely never performed more effectively than he did Tuesday.
Besides scoring against the team he broke into the NHL with four years ago – he knocked in a loose puck in the crease 2:40 into the third period – he and his linemates, center Peyton Krebs and Beck Malenstyn, wreaked havoc all night.
The fourth line quickly emerged as the Sabres’ best trio, igniting them after an awful start in which Columbus outshot them 14-1 early in the contest.
The line created scoring chances and showcased an aggressive, sandpaper style that irritated the Blue Jackets. Scrums erupted all night.
Ruff felt so confident in Dunne, Krebs and Malenstyn they earned some extra duty shadowing Columbus’ top line.
“It’s a fun task to do that, go against other teams’ top players and get under their skin a little bit,” Dunne said. “Yeah, we enjoyed it.”
Ruff called it “an easy decision” to put the line out against Columbus’ best scorers.
“They were garnering the zone time getting pucks in deep and hanging on to it, they did a great job of frustrating them,” he said. “They had limited possession time when those guys were out there.”
If he keeps making his presence known, Dunne could stick around and force the Sabres to make a difficult roster decision.
“That’s not my focus, honestly,” said Dunne, who played a season-high 12 minutes, 45 seconds against Columbus. “I think being where I am and being up and down, I’m just trying to make the most of every day,”
The Sabres on Saturday recalled him for the second time this season after they lost forward Tyson Kozak to a lower-body injury.
They clearly like Dunne’s talents, having signed him to a two-year contract prior to last season that turned into a one-way deal this year.
He stayed in Buffalo until the end of training camp before clearing waivers and being assigned to the AHL.
“That’s what any player should do really, try to come in, make an impact, make our decision really tough,” Ruff said. “I welcome the opportunity of anyone coming in, playing well, and them saying, ‘Well, I played better than this guy.’
“I think there’s a little bit different roles with some players. But how hard you play, how well you play, they get to control that. And I think Dunner’s done a good job.
The undrafted Dunne has paid dues and grinded to earn opportunities in the big leagues.
“Everyone’s development path is different, and hockey’s such a cool game where you can keep learning, so I’ve just enjoyed the whole process of it,” he said.
He played three seasons at Clarkson University before signing as a free agent with Columbus in 2021.
“After I didn’t get drafted a couple times, there was a couple doubts that popped in, but Clarkson really believed in me, they really pushed me,” he said.
But after playing his first six NHL games shortly after leaving school, Dunne made just eight more appearances for the Blue Jackets over the next three years.
He spent the majority of his time with the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus’ AHL affiliate.
In Cleveland, he developed a familiarity with the Amerks, the Monsters’ North Division rival, and Buffalo’s organization.
He jumped at the chance to join the Sabres as a free agent.
“They believed in me, and I could feel that,” Dunne said. “It was just nice to be wanted somewhere and excited to be a part of that.”
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