Mattias Samuelsson starting to shake off rust while playing a different role for Sabres
The difference in Samuelsson’s game was noticeable Saturday night when the 6-foot-4 defenseman helped them earn their first win of the season, a 5-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. Samuelsson looked more comfortable in every area of the ice and even scored his first goal since last October.
Mattias Samuelsson was too busy preparing for the season and trying to earn the trust of a new coach to consider that it may take a few games to readjust to the speed of the NHL.
In hindsight, though, Samuelsson went more than eight months between meaningful games because of shoulder surgery that ended his season in late January and none of the Buffalo Sabres’ exhibitions were against a team full of elite players.
It wasn’t until the Sabres opened the season in Prague that Samuelsson saw that the challenge was far greater than he was accustomed. He was taking longer than usual to make decisions with the puck and not closing quick enough in the defensive zone.
Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, right, celebrates his goal with Ryan McLeod during the second period on Saturday against the Panthers. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
“I underestimated how hard it would be coming off a surgery and being out that long,” Samuelsson told The Buffalo News. “Every day I’m feeling more like myself and making decisions quicker.”
The difference in Samuelsson’s game was noticeable Saturday night when the 6-foot-4 defenseman helped the Sabres earn their first win of the season, a 5-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. Samuelsson looked more comfortable in every area of the ice and even scored his first goal since last October.
The 24-year-old’s confidence wasn’t shaken by his penalty two nights earlier, when he slashed an opponent to give the Los Angeles Kings a 5-on-3 power play that Anze Kopitar used to score the game-winning goal and spoil the Sabres’ home opener. Lindy Ruff lamented about the mistake during his post-game press conference and reminded Samuelsson during a one-on-one chat afterwards that it can’t happen
Ruff turned the page, though, by telling Samuelsson, “Learn from it and move on.” Samuelsson’s in a different role than he was when Don Granato was coach – his ice time and usage are different under Ruff – but his mission remains the same: avoid the tough-luck injuries that have prevented him from playing a full NHL season and helping the Sabres reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011.
“I want to prove myself again,” said Samuelsson. “Playing a whole season, playing a whole season where you’re happy with your game. There will obviously be nights where you don’t have it, but doing everything you can to help the team win every game and being a factor out there every night. I’m obviously going to be banged up throughout the year but staying healthy enough where I can be out there and help us win.”
None of the Sabres’ defensemen are averaging at least 24 minutes through four games. Less ice time should allow the group to play faster, said Ruff. They need to win more races to the puck and be in position to support each other so they can get back to offense quicker. Owen Power (23:50) and Bowen Byram (21:11) are averaging more ice time than last season, but every other defenseman, including Rasmus Dahlin, are playing less.
Samuelsson is averaging 16:16 of ice time, four fewer minutes per game than last season when he was at 20:30 and almost six fewer minutes than 2022-23 when Granato played him 22:11.
The role at even strength isn’t the same for Samuelsson, either. He’s not on the ice against the opponent’s best players each shift and his most common defense partner, Dahlin, is now with Henri Jokiharju because the latter has a right-handed shot. Samuelsson is on the third pair with Connor Clifton, and the duo hasn’t skated as much at 5-on-5 at the start of the season because they’re the team’s top penalty-killing defensemen.
Samuelsson leads the Sabres in short-handed ice time after ranking fourth among their defensemen last season. They’re taking too many penalties, amassing the third-most penalty minutes (58) and fifth-most penalties (18) in the NHL. Samuelsson and Clifton have received more even-strength ice time the past two games, and they’re still being used in important situations. Ruff has used them after Buffalo’s failed power plays, and the duo has prevented opponents from capitalizing on the momentum of a successful penalty kill.
“It’s not perfect by any means,” Clifton said of the penalty kill, which ranked 20th entering Tuesday. “We’re just working hard, making our reads and our jumps, and we’re killing plays. … We’re going to continue to build that and try some new things and really get it dialed in during this trip. We’ve been getting better as a pair every game and that support, his stick and his ability to close, is why he’s so effective in this league.”
Missing 78 games over the past two seasons, including 41 in 2023-24, caused Samuelsson to change his summer routine. His shoulder – which Samuelsson injured while defending a rush chance by the Anaheim Ducks’ Ryan Strome – was healed early enough for him to have months to prepare for training camp, but he wanted to work differently than previous years. Samuelsson incorporated yoga and Pilates into his regimen. Flexibility is useful for recovering from the wear and tear during a season.
Most of the injuries that he’s dealt with since 2022 aren’t avoidable. He puts his body on the line each game to try to help the Sabres win, which means blocking shots and taking a beating in the corners. But he wanted to focus on helping his body recover better. He no longer needs heavy strength training leading up to the season. Maintaining is more important now that he’s an NHL player with 154 games of experience.
There’s no way to simulate NHL game speed during the summer and Samuelsson saw against the New Jersey Devils in Prague that he was processing slower than usual. The two losses left him frustrated and searching for answers, but people within Samuelsson’s support system urged him to be patient and eventually he’ll begin to feel normal again.
The performance against Florida was encouraging. The Sabres had 71.9% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts and 92.9% of the expected goal share when Samuelsson was on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick. Ruff is a perfectionist, though, particularly when it comes to the position that he played in the NHL. He was quick to point out that Samuelsson also allowed the Panthers an easy scoring chance of the rush.
The expectations are high for Samuelsson. The Sabres need him to be a difference-maker every night. After all, general manager Kevyn Adams gave Samuelsson a seven-year contract in October 2022 and named him one of four alternate captains for this season.
“When you’re playing 20-plus (minutes) every night, you don’t have time to think between shifts or dwell on mistakes,” said Samuelsson. “You are just kind of flowing and rolling over your shifts. That’s been a little bit of an adjustment. The confidence part, knowing you can do it and trusting your game, is big. If you are at your best, you can help the team win, no matter how much you’re playing or what the circumstances are. It’s just a mindset.”