Rangers recorded a 6-5 win in San Jose

BUFFALO Washington Capitals Hoodies Authentic , N.Y. (AP) Forward Victor Olofsson had never heard of Rasmus Dahlin until encountering the then-16-year-old defenseman during their first practice together with Frolunda in Sweden two years ago.”He got the puck on the blue line and I was going toward him, and he just put it between my legs and went in and scored,” Olofsson when the two were reunited at the Buffalo Sabres‘ prospect development camp.”I thought it was a fluke at first,” he said. ”But when he did it again and again, it’s not just a fluke.”What Olofsson first witnessed was put on display during the four-day camp and in front of crowds of 2,000 fans, who turned out daily to catch their first glimpse of the No. 1 player selected in the NHL draft June 22.Dahlin performed as advertised with his effortless skating ability, and head-up, stick-handling style that made it seem as if the 18-year-old had the puck on a string.Seemingly trapped behind the net during a 3-on-3 scrimmage Saturday, Dahlin shifted right and then moved left to get around one defender, before making a nifty deke to avoid another. There was the goal he scored Wednesday, when Dahlin drove into the slot, leaned to his right before snapping a shot inside the left post.The play capturing everyone’s attention was a clean, open-ice check the lean, 6-foot-2 Washington Capitals Hats Authentic , 185-pound Dahlin delivered in bowling over forward Matej Pekar on Friday.”Oh, yeah, it just happens sometimes,” Dahlin said with a shrug.Not lost on numerous observers, was how the hit might have been payback, coming a day after Pekar caught Dahlin with a high stick.”I think it probably validates what we know how competitive a kid he is. He certainly doesn’t have a short-term memory,” assistant general manager Steve Greeley said. ”But that’s one of the attributes we loved about him.”Pekar never saw Dahlin coming.”I’ve never seen him hit somebody like that,” Pekar said. ”I thought it was somebody else. But I was surprised, yeah.”An hour later, the two laughed about what happened over lunch.Coach Phil Housley was cautious in saying he didn’t want to place too much emphasis on one play or player during a development camp.And yet, the Hall of Fame defenseman noted the promise Dahlin brings to a franchise that has finished last in three of the past five years and is in the midst of a team-worst seven-year playoff drought.”To get the player we got, it’s really important for our city and western New York. It gives a little hope that we get a first overall pick,” Housley said. ”It was a big moment for our franchise.”Dahlin was wowed by the fan turnout, saying he never had anyone cheer when he previously scored during practice. He also noted how many fans were already wearing his No. 26 Sabres jersey, which was priced at more than $200 since going on sale Monday.”I’m super impressed that they even know who I am Custom Washington Capitals Jerseys ,” Dahlin said. ”I know they love hockey. And I will try to win hockey games so we can give back to them.”Sabres co-owner Kim Pegula was struck by the poise Dahlin shows for his age.She recalled a conversation she had with her husband, Terry Pegula, before the Sabres first met with Dahlin at the NHL combine in Buffalo in late May.”I said to Terry, no one says anything bad about him. And I’m like, `There’s got to be something. He’s got to have a weakness,”’ Pegula told The Associated Press.”But everyone from his coaches to players who have played with him, all of them rave about him,” she added.”You can definitely see as a young man playing in the Swedish men’s league how that experience has really matured him,” Pegula said. ”You can see the benefits of that as he’s handled the press, as he’s handled the combine, the world juniors and the draft. So he’s been exceptional in all those areas.”Dahlin has spent the past two years playing in Sweden’s Elite League , where he had eight goals and 15 assists in 67 games. In February, he represented Sweden at the South Korean Winter Games, where he had an assist in two games.Next step is the NHL, where he is all but assured of a spot on Buffalo’s roster in October. Dahlin is taking nothing for granted by shrugging off the accolades directed his way.”Of course it’s fun to hear www.officialhockeyjetsshop.com ,” Dahlin said. ”But you have to put in the work, too.”— NEW YORK — For the San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers, eight meant different things in their previous games.The Sharks totaled eight goals in their first regulation win of the young season while the Rangers allowed eight in falling to 0-3-0.On Thursday, the teams will get together at Madison Square Garden where the Sharks will hope to keep the goals flowing while the Rangers will hope to avoid another ugly loss.Article continues below ...The Sharks (2-2-0) are heading back to New York following a dynamic 8-2 win in Philadelphia on Tuesday. After getting 35 shots on goal in Monday’s 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders, San Jose saw 13 players get at least one point.“Sometimes that back-to-back game, you feel better for whatever reason,” Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. “You should be a little tired, but it woke our legs up a little bit. We moved a lot better, passing was cleaner.Pavelski and Evander Kane registered two goals and two assists apiece while playing on different lines after opening training camp as linemates. Pavelski scored the second and third goals while Kane netted the next two.“It’s early enough in the season where those back-to-back games aren’t as bad,” Kane said. “It was good to get a bunch of different guys on the board after getting shut out yesterday afternoon.”Pavelski scored his first two goals while Kane is up to four goals already. Kevin Lebanc tied a team record with four assists by setting up Pavelski’s two goals and Kane’s second goalIt was the first time since Oct. 8, 2013, that the Sharks scored eight goals. The opponent that night was the Rangers, who gave up nine goals early in a season that saw them lose in the Stanley Cup Final.The follow-up to San Jose’s last eight-goal showing was a 4-1 win at Vancouver, and the Sharks are hoping for a similar showing against the Eastern Conference’s only team without a point.The Rangers are 0-3-0 for the first time since 1998-99 after absorbing an 8-5 defeat Sunday at Carolina. After not getting a lead and scoring three goals in their first two losses, the Rangers held the lead four times before allowing four goals in the final 15 minutes.The last time the Rangers began a season with four straight losses was also 1998-99 Winnipeg Jets T-Shirts Authentic , the second of their seven straight seasons out of the playoffs.New York followed that rough stretch by making the playoffs in 10 of 12 seasons and is experiencing rough patches in its rebuilding efforts so far under first-year coach David Quinn.While wholesale changes are not looming, it is possible defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk could be a healthy scratch. Knee surgery cost him 36 games last season, his plus-minus rating is minus-4 and his ice time was 7:29 Sunday.“You have to learn from it, obviously,” Shattenkirk told reporters. “I’m not a guy that would take that the wrong way and mope about it.”Another change could be on New York’s No. 1 line. Based on line combinations in practice this week, rookie center Brett Howden may start on the top line flanked by Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello.Howden made the team out of training camp after being acquired from Tampa Bay as part of the return in the deal involving J.T. Miller and Ryan McDonagh. In three games, he has a goal and two assists.“He’s getting more comfortable for sure,” Quinn told reporters at practice Tuesday. “As most first-year players in this league get when they have a little bit of success, there’s a confidence level that grows.”Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist did not play Sunday but is expected to start Thursday. Martin Jones is likely to start for San Jose.Since San Jose’s 9-2 win over the Rangers five years ago, New York is 5-3-1 in the last nine meetings. Last season, the Sharks posted a 4-1 victory in New York on Oct. 23, while the Rangers recorded a 6-5 win in San Jose on Jan. 25.