It is no secret that the Buffalo Sabres are a different team without defenseman Mattias Samuelsson. Odds are, the streak ends shortly after his return.
When Mattias Samuelsson has been on the ice this season, the Buffalo Sabres were 4-1-0. Without him, they are 3-10-0. For most of their pitiful run in November, the Sabres have not been physical, have looked lethargic, and have seen their play suffer in every phase of the game.
And while Samuelsson has less than a full season of NHL experience, his presence is invaluable. No, he doesn’t do much in the scoring column and never will. But he is the sledgehammer and ball of energy this team needs.
Samuelsson’s return ends the Buffalo Sabres losing streak sooner than later
With his presence, the Sabres, as a whole, play faster, harder, and past the whistle. Without him, they are the laziest in hockey. Now, one player will never make a complete difference, and chances are, the Sabres would not be the same 4-1-0 team in November even with Samuelsson, given the top-level competition they faced.
Further, injuries to other defensemen like Ilya Lyubushkin and Rasmus Dahlin would have taken a toll. And the forwards have also been banged up, forcing the Sabres into contingency plans. But it is safe to bet they wouldn’t be playing catchup hockey game in and game out.
And with Samuelsson’s greater physical presence at the blue line, one capable of disrupting plays and forcing opponents to improvise, you can also expect the Sabres goaltending to improve dramatically. In games that Samuelsson played in, Sabres goaltenders Craig Anderson and Eric Comrie logged a 0.944 save percentage.
Without him, their percentage sits at a meager 0.858. Again, Samuelsson’s return isn’t going to magically bring the Sabres goaltending back into the 0.944 range, but when he is back in lineup, it’s definitely going to be better than the ugly number I just showed you.
Overall, expect Samuelsson’s presence to give the Buffalo Sabres a much-needed dose of energy. A dose that will at least bring the competitive side back out in them perhaps as early as tonight’s contest vs. the Montreal Canadiens.
Article Source: Snapshots: Three Stars, Heinola, Samuelsson by Gavin Lee
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