'He's a beast' | Samuelsson dominates in Philadelphia debut

PHILADELPHIA - Mattias Samuelsson was raised in Voorhees, a New Jersey township located 17 miles southeast of Wells Fargo Center. His father, Kjell, has spent nearly three decades with the Philadelphia Flyers organization as a player and coach.
Samuelsson was in the building in 2012 when Claude Giroux laid out Sidney Crosby and scored a goal during the opening minute of a playoff game. He recalled the frenzied crowd's reaction on Sunday, nearly 10 years to the day since Giroux's famous shift and just minutes after he completed his first game in Philadelphia as an NHL player.

"This is definitely one I had circled on the calendar," Samuelsson said.

There would be no such crowd-stirring moment between the Sabres and Flyers, thanks in large part to the 22-year-old defenseman. The Flyers did manage an early goal - scored 1:16 into the contest by Kevin Hayes - but the Sabres calmly worked their way back to a 5-3 win.
Tage Thompson and Victor Olofsson each scored two goals. Anders Bjork added the other, while Rasmus Dahlin tallied a pair of assists to reach 50 points for the first time in his career.
The Sabres completed a sweep of their three-game season series with the Flyers. The two teams met in Buffalo on Saturday, a 4-3 win for the Sabres in which they erased a 2-0 deficit.
"I think we have confidence in our group where if we do give up the first goal it's not a panic or anything," Samuelsson said. "Just settle into our game and trust the process. It's a long game."
Samuelsson skated a career-high 26:05 and was credited with an assist, four shots, eight shot attempts, five hits, four blocked shots, and a plus-3 rating. He was among the players on the ice when the Flyers sent out an extra attacker during the final minutes, helping stave off the tying goal until Thompson scored into the empty net.
"He's a beast back there," Sabres coach Don Granato said.
Samuelsson has etched himself firmly into the Sabres' lineup since making his season debut in January, having exceeded 20 minutes of ice time in all but three games since the start of March. He might have been with the team from the get-go, had it not been for an injury he sustained during the opening game of the Prospects Challenge in September.
That injury, which cost Samuelsson the entirety of training camp, occurred while blocking a shot. He sustained another injury blocking a shot during a win in Toronto last Tuesday, forcing him to miss the following game against St. Louis.
"He missed a game blocking a shot from Auston Matthews, he would go right back out there and block it again," Granato said. "He has those warrior attributes that teams feed off, teammates feed off."

Samuelsson has also shown a penchant for making plays under pressure. The 6-foot-6 defenseman uses his reach to wrangle attackers in one-on-one situations and poke the puck out of harm's way, as he did to Toronto's Mitchell Marner during the Heritage Classic last month. Rasmus Dahlin likens Samuelsson's long stick to a cobra, ready to pounce.
The cobra struck again Sunday. Samuelsson pressured Philadelphia's Scott Laughton on a 2-on-1 rush, reaching around the forward's body and poking the puck toward the corner.
"I've always been a bigger, lanky guy so I've kind of been doing it for a while," Samuelsson said. "I think maybe I catch guys by surprise with how long my reach is. Yeah, I'm just glad I knocked that one away."
Samuelsson found himself in a similar 1-on-1 situation during the third period, this time against Travis Konecny. He outmuscled the Flyers forward, using his body to shield Konecny away from the puck before finding an outlet. He blocked a shot later that shift.
"Mattias Samuelsson is unbelievable back there," Granato said.

Olofsson, from his office

Victor Olofsson scored his goals in familiar fashion: one-timers from the right faceoff circle, both on the power play. He increased his season total to 20, matching the career high he set in 2018-19.

Olofsson also set a new career high with 44 points, becoming the sixth Sabres player to reach a personal best in that category this season (excluding rookies). The others: Thompson, Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Asplund, and Henri Jokiharju.

Dahlin hits 50

Dahlin became the seventh defensemen in Sabres history to tally 50 points in a single season and the first to do so since Garry Galley in 1995-96.
The others: Phil Housley (eight times), John Van Boxmeer (three times), Jerry Korab (twice), Doug Bodger, and Jocelyn Guevremont.

Bjork on the board

Bjork scored his first goal since Dec. 14, set up by a quick counter pass from Dahlin that sent him in alone on a breakaway.

"It was a little interesting because I had way more time than I thought I would," Bjork said. "… It's unexpected, it's like a little bit of a surprise. So, I just tried to stay calm and get a good shot off. It was a great pass by Dahls."

Up next

The Sabres visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. The puck drops at 7.