BUFFALO – In the most trying season of his career, Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson experienced what he called some “dark days.”
When he wasn’t injured, at times, he performed so poorly coach Lindy Ruff scratched him. In January, he was on the ice when the Sabres let New Jersey Devils winger Stefan Noesen get away with hitting winger Tage Thompson in the head and concussing him.
The 6-foot-4, 229-pound Samuelsson bore the brunt of the criticism for the team’s inaction.
As the struggles sapped his confidence, he said he began “playing just not to mess up rather than playing to make a difference and win the game.”
Samuelsson, a popular teammate, wasn’t enjoying coming to the rink. On the ice, he couldn’t get out of his own head.
“When you’re trying to find confidence on the fly, it can be a dark place sometimes,” he told the Times Herald prior to Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Blues in KeyBank Center. “I think this year, just playing with a little bit of swagger or authority, or whatever you want to say, goes a long way.”
These days, Samuelsson, 25, looks more like the sturdy defender the Sabres signed to a seven-year, $30 million contract extension just 54 games into his career.
Ruff recently moved him up to the top defense pair alongside captain Rasmus Dahlin.
“He came into camp with really his head in the right place about how he needed to play and what he can add to this team from physicality and penalty killing and defending against all the top guys,” Ruff said.
In the opening weeks, Samuelsson has consistently killed plays and even contributed offense, having scored two goals and six points in 11 games entering Thursday’s contest.
Incredibly, his six even-strength points ranked second on the Sabres behind winger Alex Tuch’s 11.
Samuelsson’s 19 hits also led the team’s defensemen.
“I think I’m moving my feet a lot more,” said Samuelsson, who finished last season with a strong stretch of games. “That obviously helps. You’re just involved more.”
Samuelsson, who was baptized in April, also credits his faith for restoring some of his confidence.
“Reading the Bible and stuff helps the mental (part) a lot for me, and then, obviously, just the summer to mentally reset, forget about hockey a bit, just enjoy some times with friends and family, and then get to training basically on a fresh slate, you could say,” he said. “Coming in with some more confidence has helped a lot, yeah.”
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Sabres winger Zach Benson, who was wearing a walking boot earlier this week, will miss his third game with a lower-body injury.
“It’s just sort of evaluate day to day,” Ruff said of Benson’s status. “He’s progressing, but it’s a little slower than I thought. I don’t really have any days for you, but probably we’re hoping by the end of the week.”
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Fresh off Wednesday’s embarrassing 6-1 road loss to the Washington Capitals, Blues coach Jim Montgomery held a full pregame skate Thursday, a rarity the morning after playing a game.
“We needed to talk, we needed to meet, we needed to go on the ice and work a little bit because we didn’t work last night well enough as a group,” Montgomery said.
The Blues began the night with a weak 4-8-2 record this season and an awful 1-6-2 mark in their last nine outings.
“If you have competitive fire in your belly, struggles like this provide opportunities to grow stronger together when you face these again,” Montgomery said. “It’s going to happen again during the season. But right now, we got to dig in and work our ways out of it. …
“If there’s a puck between you and I, I’m going to break your leg to get the puck. We have to have more of that mentality.”
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Sabres goalie Colten Ellis, a rookie the Sabres claimed off waivers last month from St. Louis, said he has developed a routine that keeps him sharp and “the foot on the gas” as he waits for another start.
Ellis, 25, made his only appearance this season on Oct. 22, making 29 saves in his NHL debut, a 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
“It’s an opportunity to learn and take every bit of information you can in,” he said of serving as the third goalie. “I feel like I’ve done a good job with practices, getting acclimated to the speed.”
Notes: Sabres center Tyson Kozak played after missing five games with a lower-body injury. … The Sabres scratched defenseman Jacob Bryson, winger Mason Geertsen and goalie Alex Lyon (all healthy). … Blues rookie winger Jimmy Snuggerud is the son of former Sabres forward Dave Snuggerud.
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