BUFFALO – Mattias Samuelsson, the Sabres’ top shutdown defenseman, is week to week with a lower-body injury he suffered blocking a shot in Tuesday’s 5-1 preseason win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, coach Lindy Ruff said.
Meanwhile, Ruff said defenseman Olen Zellweger, the Sabres’ biggest offseason acquisition, is in concussion protocol after later in the exhibition contest, his first appearance with his new team.
So a week before the season, the Sabres are down two of their top four defensemen.
“You’ve got to approach this that (it’s) next man up, and I think we’ve got some depth on defense that short-term can help us out,” Ruff said following Wednesday’s session of training camp in KeyBank Center. “It’s another man’s opportunity.”
Samuelsson, 26, blocked Luca Pinelli’s shot 4:36 into the second period before leaving the game around the halfway mark.
Ruff doesn’t have a more exact recovery time for Samuelsson, who usually skates alongside captain Rasmus Dahlin on the top defense pair.
“It is one of those things where it can truly be week to week,” Ruff said. “Those can weeks can get longer or they can get shorter. I’m not going to make a prediction.”
Zellweger, 23, suffered a concussion when Carson Soucy leveled him in the right faceoff circle 17:35 into the second period. Zellweger stayed on the ice for several moments before being helped off.
Ruff said Zellweger told him Wednesday he already felt better.
“That’s very encouraging to me,” he said. “But I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”
Ruff, whose team boasts one of the deepest blue lines, believes the Sabres have the talent to withstand the losses.
On Wednesday, newcomer Louis Crevier moved into Samuelsson’s spot alongside Dahlin, while Conor Timmins took Zellweger’s place with Owen Power.
Zach Metsa, who enjoyed a terrific rookie season last year, and Dennis Gilbert moved into the top six.
“You want to be a good team, you have to deal with adversity,” Ruff said. “We’re going to have to deal with adversity right off the bat. But again, I look at the depth we have there. I thought when you look at last night, a guy like Crevier has a good night, very encouraging. Timmins had a good night.
“We could have a pair of Power and Dahlin, that they’ve played together in the past. That could eat up a lot of minutes and be a real good pair.”
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