Sabre Noise
Fansided

3 most improved Buffalo Sabres in the month of March

By Sion Fawkes

Dec 2, 2021; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt (37) celebrates his goal against the Florida Panthers with teammates on the bench during the second period at FLA Live Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 2, 2021; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt (37) celebrates his goal against the Florida Panthers with teammates on the bench during the second period at FLA Live Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Buffalo Sabres
Mar 13, 2022; Hamilton, Ontario, CAN; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (23) carries the puck past Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting (58) during the third period in the 2022 Heritage Classic ice hockey game at Tim Hortons Field. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Mattias Samuelsson

Known for his physical play, the towering Samuelsson is the team’s biggest hitter. And when he’s not hitting, he’s either disrupting plays or throwing a block to deflect a shot on goal.

Throughout March, Samuelsson has seen his ice time increase and against the New York Rangers on Sunday, he recorded over 22 minutes in 32 shifts. The flaw in Samuelsson’s play since he made his NHL debut last season is that he provides little to no contribution on offense.

That changed throughout the previous three games. And while Samuelsson has yet to log his first NHL goal, he has three assists in three games with a +/- of plus six.

He still struggles in many aspects of his offensive game. For example, his 19 giveaways in 28 games this season shows he can stand to improve.

But his recent play might just catapult him to the first defensive pairing with Rasmus Dahlin. Currently, Henri Jokiharju has paired with Dahlin, but Jokiharju is neither the most aggressive defenseman nor is he much of a two-way player.

Jokiharju has his moments, but Samuelsson is showing more potential. If Samuelsson continues to contribute regularly on offense and help create scoring opportunities for teammates, he may wind up on the first pairing.

Home/Sabres News