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Punches thrown during wild Sabres practice fight

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Michael Whitaker | Last updated 10/14/24

The Buffalo Sabres earned their first victory of the 2024-25 NHL season on Saturday, defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 5-2 and snapping a three-game losing streak to start the year. However, not all is right in Sabres land.

Tensions began to flair during Monday morning’s practice session. Rasmus Dahlin and Peyton Krebs collided with one another during a drill, and both immediately began throwing punches before being separated by the rest of their teammates.

Here’s the scrum that just went on in practice between Rasmus Dahlin and Peyton Krebs.

Looks like they collided at full speed during a drill.

Teammates broke it up right away. pic.twitter.com/bPAPnRnNvd

— Sara Holland (@SaraaHolland) October 14, 2024

We’ve seen numerous instances over the years of teammates clashing during practice sessions. Last season, Detroit Red Wings teammates Lucas Raymond and Ben Chiarot had to be separated during practice amid a frustrating losing streak.

Similarly, former NHL defenseman P.K. Subban was involved in multiple skirmishes with teammates in practice throughout his career.

The Sabres have had a rough start to the 2024-25 NHL season

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) makes a pass to center Tage Thompson (72) during the second period against the Florida Panthers at KeyBank Center Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The Sabres hold the NHL’s longest active postseason drought, having last made the playoffs in 2011. Since then, they’ve undergone several rebuilding phases, including drafting Jack Eichel with the second overall pick in 2016—a relationship that has since soured and ended.

Buffalo was selected to participate in the NHL’s Global Series in Prague, where it would face the New Jersey Devils in back-to-back matchups. The Devils swept both games against the Sabres, winning by scores of 3-1 and 4-1 at the O2 Arena.

Head coach Lindy Ruff, who is back with the franchise he previously coached, is already finding himself and the rest of the team dealing with adversity, via NHL.com:

“I think we’re going to find out more and more about the group,” Ruff said. “Dealing with adversity is something that can make your team a lot stronger and we’re going to deal with some adversity. Obviously, we’re not happy. We’ve got a lot of work ahead, but it’s something that you’ve got to take as a challenge right now.”

Buffalo is next in action on Wednesday, hitting the road to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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