Sabres vs Canucks

Sabres defenceman Mattias Samuelsson was forced out of his club's game against the Vancouver Canucks Saturday with an apparent lower-body injury after an ...

He's averaging just over 22 minutes of ice per night for the Sabres through the 2022-23 season so far. Turning to check Lazar as the pair approached the boards, Samuelsson appeared to twist his right leg as he fell. The team announced he would not return.

The Buffalo Sabres square off against the Vancouver Canucks, riding a wave of momentum following two upset wins over potential playoff contenders.

The Sabres are young and less experienced, yet everything has been going their way. Their current Over/Under sits at 6.5, and the Sabres hold a +146 moneyline. Will the Sabres avoid the trap? The Buffalo Sabres looked like a team on a mission during Thursday night’s big win over the Calgary Flames. The Sabres, 3-1-0, face the pressure of playing an inferior opponent, and these are what you call potential trap games. To be honest, these are the kinds of games I don’t like.

The Vancouver Canucks will finally look to get into the win column on Saturday, facing off against the Buffalo Sabres at Rogers Arena.

This is now the second straight contest that Höglander will be sitting, with the AHL demotion further pushing him out of the line-up. The Sabres have lots of exciting young players to keep an eye on, but perhaps the most significant at the moment is Rasmus Dahlin. Through four games this year, he sits at four goals and six points — an average of a point and a half per game. We’re already two weeks into the 2022-23 NHL season, and the Canucks have yet to play at Rogers Arena. He currently sits at a minus 5 and, according to Hockey Reference, has a negative defensive point share. Shortly before the season started, he signed a seven-year, $56 million contract extension.

Lyubushkin will return after missing one game with an undisclosed injury. … Jokiharju, a defenseman, was placed on injured reserve. Pilut, a defenseman, was recalled from Rochester of the American Hockey League on Friday. …

Pilut, a defenseman, was recalled from Rochester of the American Hockey League on Friday. Injured: Riley Stillman (undisclosed). Jack Quinn -- Zemgus Girgensons -- Kyle Okposo

Tony Sartori breaks down Saturday's NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks.

In his career against the Sabres, Demko possesses a .891 SV% and 3.70 GAA. These two teams enter this game in opposite form. Get up-to-the-minute [NHL Odds](https://www.actionnetwork.com/nhl/odds)here. Through four starts, he is 0-3-1 with a .861 SV% and 4.30 GAA. The defense got better once Bruce Boudreau took over behind the bench last year, but has taken a step back at the start of this season. Across his two career starts against the Canucks, Comrie possesses a .908 SV% and 2.93 GAA. Vancouver’s poor defense, which has surrendered three or more goals in each game, is the main culprit of those blown leads. At 5v5, Comrie ranks eighth among starting goaltenders at goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60). It’s also worth noting that those games came against three of the most talented offenses in hockey. Last season, Buffalo won both of the meetings between these two teams. While neither goalie has been confirmed for this contest, we should be comfortable with either option. [Canucks](https://www.actionnetwork.com/nhl/odds/vancouver-canucks)Odds [DraftKings](https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/reviews/draftkings).

Sabres.com's Game Preview: Buffalo Sabres at Vancouver Cancuks (October 22, 2022)

Rasmus Dahlin has goals in each of the Sabres' first four games, the longest such streak for a defenseman to open a season in NHL history. Quinn Hughes, who ranks second in the NHL in average ice time, is a game-time decision, coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters. Lyubushkin had an eventful game in Edmonton prior to sustaining his injury midway through the second period. This all coincides with a return to the site of what may have been Dahlin's best game last season. He will step in for Peyton Krebs, who has played the first four games of the season. "It's pretty cool for him to create history," his defense partner, Mattias Samuelsson, said. "We have a 23-man roster in the NHL. "If we stay healthy up front, we're going to need a rotation," Granato said. He will step in for Henri Jokiharju, who has been placed on injured reserve after a puck was shot off his mouth early in the game against the Flames. Craig Anderson was the first goaltender off the ice, meaning he is likely to start. To step back out of the fire, out of the heat of the moment, and have time to digest more of what we're talking about, more of what's going on in the league." "I don't think it's a long timeline," Granato said of Jokiharju's absence.

The Sabres trounced the sprialing Vancouver Canucks and received good news about injured defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who left the game with an injury.

“Do they need to play every game and get into the grind of that? “We know these young guys that we have in our organization are talented and we know that they're going to develop through the course of the season,” said Granato. The Sabres bombarded the Canucks at the start of the third period with Jeff Skinner earning a chance in front and Vinnie Hinostroza hitting the cross bar on a shot from the slot. Mittelstadt has one goal and five points in five games to start the season. Their confidence and attacking play evaporated in the second period after Samuelsson dropped to the ice and clutched his right knee on a routine check along the boards. Then, Mittelstadt led a rush down the left wing when he kicked the puck through the neutral zone to create separation, regained possession and setup Olofsson with a perfect 2-on-1 pass that turned into a 3-1 lead. Dahlin was remarkable again, finishing with two points, five hits and two blocked shots in 22:59 of ice time. The Canucks began to roar back with Samuelsson out, forcing turnovers with a more aggressive forecheck and earning extended possessions around Anderson. “When we’re playing our game, controlling the puck, playing with that confidence, I think that would be it,” said Anderson, describing the common thread between the three wins on this trip. “We’re happy to be 3-0 to start the trip, and we still have one more. Zemgus Girgensons added an empty netter, and Craig Anderson made 29 saves in goal to earn his second win of the season. His teammates backed him on the ice, too, by scoring three goals in the third period to improve to 4-1 this season.

Get a recap of the Buffalo Sabres vs. Vancouver Canucks hockey game.

[Quinn Hughes](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/4320548/quinn-hughes) (undisclosed). Dahlin ripped a shot from inside the blue line and the puck hit Vancouver’s [Elias Pettersson](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/4233566/elias-pettersson) in the high slot before sailing in past Demko 5:35 into the game. [Conor Garland](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/3939718/conor-garland) scored for the Canucks, who remained the league's only winless team (0-4-2). [Craig Anderson](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/1929/craig-anderson) stopped 29 shots. Samuelsson went down awkwardly after the contact and lay writhing on the ice, grabbing his right knee before a trainer came out to help him to the bench. “And the third we needed to get back to a little bit more of our game. [Tage Thompson](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/4024988/tage-thompson). “We just have to be a lot better and we just have to put a full game together. Stationed in front of the Sabres’ net, Just 50 seconds later, Olofsson put a shot past the Canucks’ goalie for his second of the game. “It was the first time I’ve ever been involved with that,” Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “I think it starts from hard work and we really deserve this confidence we have right now,” Dahlin said.

Get a recap of the Buffalo Sabres vs. Vancouver Canucks hockey game.

[Quinn Hughes](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/4320548/quinn-hughes) (undisclosed). Dahlin ripped a shot from inside the blue line and the puck hit Vancouver’s [Elias Pettersson](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/4233566/elias-pettersson) in the high slot before sailing in past Demko 5:35 into the game. [Conor Garland](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/3939718/conor-garland) scored for the Canucks, who remained the league's only winless team (0-4-2). [Craig Anderson](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/1929/craig-anderson) stopped 29 shots. Samuelsson went down awkwardly after the contact and lay writhing on the ice, grabbing his right knee before a trainer came out to help him to the bench. “And the third we needed to get back to a little bit more of our game. [Tage Thompson](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/4024988/tage-thompson). “We just have to be a lot better and we just have to put a full game together. Stationed in front of the Sabres’ net, Just 50 seconds later, Olofsson put a shot past the Canucks’ goalie for his second of the game. “It was the first time I’ve ever been involved with that,” Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “I think it starts from hard work and we really deserve this confidence we have right now,” Dahlin said.

The Vancouver Canucks are having a tough time at the start of this season, to say the least. The team is still searching for its first win of the season, ...

Yesterday, we covered the timeline update to Chychrun’s status, and now with more information on the nature of Chychrun’s absence, (that it could relate to the wrist issues that troubled him this summer) it’s fair to wonder if we really are any closer to a Chychrun deal than we might have been in the past. [Per the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch](https://ottawasun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/ottawa-senators/snapshots-frustrated-josh-norris-leaves-senators-6-2-win-over-coyotes-because-of-injury), Chychrun is still “a few weeks away,” and he relatively recently conducted an in-person visit to the wrist specialist who conducted his offseason surgery. [Jakob Chychrun](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/c/chychja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)trade winds have been picking up quite strongly in recent days, and the talented Coyotes blueliner could be on the move in the relatively near future. [Mattias Samuelsson](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/samuema02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-), a core piece of their blueline, left their contest against the Canucks with a lower-body injury. If the Canucks want to right the ship after this disastrous start, they’ll need to get Hughes back and healthy as soon as possible. The team is still searching for its first win of the season, and it’s gotten bad enough that coach Bruce Boudreau was

Hopes had been high for the team's first home game of the season, but with just minutes left on the clock and the Buffalo Sabres up, three jerseys were ...

"We were under a pretty good barrage in the second and [Anderson] and our group of defencemen, I thought played really well," said Sabres coach Don Granato. He went directly to the Buffalo locker room and did not return. "And the third we needed to get back to a little bit more of our game. "We just have to be a lot better and we just have to put a full game together... Casey Mittelstadt and Rasmus Asplund each contributed a pair of helpers. "I think it starts from hard work and we really deserve this confidence we have right now," he said.