The Buffalo Sabres announced this morning that defensemen Mattias Samuelsson and Riley Stillman would miss tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. Both players are considered day-to-day with upper-body injuries.
Samuelsson has picked up one goal and seven assists for eight points in 46 games this season. He has also chipped in 65 shots on net, 72 blocked shots and 84 hits this season. The 22-year-old is in his third season with the Sabres, last season he tallied 10 assists in 42 games. Last fall, Samuelsson signed a seven-year, $30 million extension that is set to begin in the 2023-24 campaign; the contract carries an average annual value of $4.2 million. In 100 career NHL games, he has registered 20 points (one goal, 19 assists) averaging 20:38 of ice time, 142 blocked shots and 204 hits.
Stillman, 24, was recently acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for prospect Josh Bloom. He dropped the gloves in Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning with Bolts newcomer Tanner Jeannot and would not return to the game. He took part in the morning skate Monday but was sporting a no-contact jersey according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. In 34 games this season, he has registered five assists and 30 penalty minutes. According to our friends at HockeyFights.com, Stillman has had four fights this season, that was his first as a member of the Sabres. The Peterborough, Ontario, product is in the second year of a three-year $4.05 million contract he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021. The contract has a cap hit of $1.35
Additionally, defensemen Kale Clague and Jacob Bryson are expected to slot in on the blueline tonight against the Oilers.
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