- Mattias Samuelsson is week-to-week with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot Tuesday
- Olen Zellweger remains in Buffalo’s concussion protocol from the same preseason game
- Read below for what Lindy Ruff said about replacing two key defensemen
Mattias Samuelsson is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff confirmed Wednesday.
He got hurt blocking a shot from Blue Jackets forward Luca Pinelli early in Tuesday’s 5-1 preseason win, then played a few more shifts before leaving the game for good midway through the second period.
Buffalo is already down Olen Zellweger, who landed in concussion protocol on a hit from Carson Soucy in that same game against Columbus. Both injuries now put the Sabres in jeopardy of opening the season without two projected top-four defensemen.
Ruff was asked Wednesday about replacing two key pieces on the back end this early in the year.
“You want to be a good team, you’re going to have to deal with some adversity, and maybe we’re going to have to deal with some adversity right off the bat,” Ruff said. “It’s an opportunity for somebody to step up and give us some good minutes and get a little bit of added time that maybe they wouldn’t get normally.”
Watch Ruff’s full update from Wednesday’s practice at KeyBank Center:
Louis Crevier moved into Samuelsson’s spot next to captain Rasmus Dahlin at Wednesday’s practice, while Conor Timmins slotted in for Zellweger alongside Owen Power. Buffalo also brought up Ryan Johnson and 2025 first-round pick Radim Mrtka from the AHL group to fill out a fourth pairing.
Losing Samuelsson stings. He set career highs last season with 13 goals and 41 points in 78 games while logging just under 23 minutes a night on Buffalo’s top pair, then added seven points in 13 playoff games as the Sabres pushed the Canadiens to a Game 7 overtime in the second round. He’s entering the fourth season of a seven-year, $30 million contract.
The Sabres visit the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday and host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday before opening the regular season Oct. 1 in Columbus, the same opponent Samuelsson and Zellweger got hurt against.
