The Buffalo Sabres killed off all four Washington Capitals power-play opportunities during Saturday's 4-3 shootout win, and one oft-criticized member of the roster was at the heart of that strong defensive effort: Mattias Samuelsson.
It's been a resurgent start to the 2025-26 season for Samuelsson, who was the subject of buyout conversations within the fanbase throughout the offseason. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams pushed aside that talk, which looks wise in hindsight, at least for now.
Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff applauded the 6-foot-4 defenseman after Saturday's victory, which improved the team's record to 5-4-3.
"I don't think our penalty killers gave up a scoring chance, and that's how good they were," Ruff told reporters. "I thought our clears were excellent. I thought Samuelsson was a beast all night when it comes to the killing and blocking shots."
It'll provide a massive boost to the Blue and Gold if the 2018 second-round pick can play at this level (and stay healthy) for the remainder of the campaign.
Samuelsson wasn't the only frequently critiqued player to stand out against the Caps, which leads us into our latest installment of the Sabres player grades series.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has much-needed strong outing to pace Buffalo Sabres grades for Nov. 1 win over the Washington Capitals
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 7 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 6.5 |
Conor Timmins | 6.5 |
Tage Thompson | 6.5 |
Isak Rosen | 6 |
Josh Dunne | 6 |
Beck Malenstyn | 6 |
Peyton Krebs | 5.5 |
Owen Power | 5.5 |
Alex Tuch | 5 |
Jordan Greenway | 5 |
Jason Zucker | 4.5 |
Michael Kesselring | 4 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 3.5 |
Jack Quinn | 3 |
Jiri Kulich | 3 |
Josh Doan | 2.5 |
Bowen Byram | 2.5 |
Ryan McLeod | 2 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
It was a nightmare start for UPL and the Sabres as Washington scored twice in the game's first 135 seconds. To the goalie's credit, he still managed to settle in and backstop the team to a win despite a mostly lackluster performance from the Blue and Gold.
Luukkonen finished the contest with 31 saves on 34 shots (.912 save percentage), and he stopped all five shootout attempts from the Caps until Bowen Byram scored the winner for Buffalo.
It was a necessary bounce-back start for UPL, who struggled mightily last year (.887 SV%) and had a rough first appearance this season after recovering from a pair of preseason injuries. Those factors allowed Alex Lyon to initially seize the starting job.
The Sabres goaltending situation is still far from ideal as Ruff will have to find a way to juggle Lyon, Luukkonen and Colten Ellis. The onus is on Adams to figure out a solution because trying to carry three goalies for an entire campaign probably isn't the best option for anyone involved.
UPL's play against the Capitals should earn him another start in the near future.
Sabres quick hits
- Buffalo secured two points, which is always the most important thing, but this was a mundane overall performance.
- Along with Samuelsson, fellow defenseman Conor Timmins has also been critical to the team's PK success.
- Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch and Isak Rosen scored the Sabres goals. It was the first of Rosen's NHL career.
- Zach Benson's absence was immediately felt, especially on the forecheck.
- Even on a rare underwhelming night for Josh Doan he still managed to post an assist and a pair of hits.
- The Sabres have secured at least one point in eight of nine games since their 0-3-0 start.
- Buffalo is back on home ice Tuesday night when they welcome JJ Peterka and the Utah Mammoth to the KeyBank Center for a 7 p.m. ET faceoff.