BUFFALO – Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is “still pretty sick” and likely won’t play in this afternoon’s home game against the Seattle Kraken.
Samuelsson missed Thursday’s 4-0 road win over the Ottawa Senators. The Sabres had him travel back to Buffalo separately from the team.
In other news, winger Beck Malenstyn, who has missed the last two games because of illness, practiced Friday but likely won’t play today.
“I would say low on energy,” Ruff said following Friday’s practice in KeyBank Center. “Got to make a decision on him. I don’t know if the likelihood of him playing is something that will happen.”
With Samuelsson and Malenstyn sidelined Thursday, the Sabres dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen instead of the usual 12 and six.
Playing with one less forward has positives and negatives.
“The pros are … your second and third line get an average of a couple more minutes a night,” Ruff said. “You get 15, you’ll get 17. Those guys who get 13 or 14 get 15 or 16. The negative is if you get in a game where you get a lot of penalties or you lose somebody, then you get yourself in a little bit of trouble.”
When winger Jason Zucker left the game early after Brady Tkachuk hit him along the boards, Ruff said he thought his “worst nightmare was gonna happen right off the bat.”
Zucker, however, returned later in the first period.
Dennis Gilbert, the extra defenseman the Sabres dressed, made his presence known, fighting Tkachuk late in the contest.
“I think he filled his role to a T,” Ruff said. “I think having him in the lineup, he went after Tkachuk right afterwards down on the end. Tkachuk didn’t want anything to do with it. And that’s the response you want. I think he’s the one guy that will get his nose in for everybody. …
“We know what his role is. He’s that sixth, seventh guy for us, don’t get scored against, just play smart, make the easy play, and then be physical.”