Samuelsson to undergo season-ending surgery; Quinn out 6-8 weeks with lower-body injury

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will require surgery to repair an upper-body injury and will be out for the remainder of the season, the team announced Sunday.

Samuelsson missed the last two games due to his injury, which coach Don Granato said he sustained during the Sabres’ 4-2 loss to Anaheim on Jan. 23.

“He got injured in [his] last game,” Granato said following Sunday’s practice at KeyBank Center. “He’s had lingering injuries just by virtue of how he blocks shots and finishes hits, and your body is always banged up and sore. But this was an injury that happened in the game. He was not dealing with this injury prior to it the other night. He was dealing with different soreness, but not the injury we’re speaking of now. It’s going to take surgery.”

Samuelsson recorded one goal and six assists in 41 games for the Sabres this season and was a key member of Buffalo’s top penalty-kill unit, ranking second on the team with 114:23 of shorthanded ice time.

“He plays with his heart, and he plays so hard out there,” Sabres alternate captain Rasmus Dahlin said. “So, stuff happens, you can’t really control it. It sucks for him. He doesn’t deserve it.”

The team also announced that forward Jack Quinn underwent successful lower-body surgery, with an expected recovery time of six to eight weeks.

Quinn exited last Saturday’s game against the San Jose Sharks with 12:53 remaining in the third period, after he fell awkwardly on his left leg following a collision with the boards. The Sabres shared that Quinn did not sustain damage to his Achilles or knee.

The 22-year-old made his season debut on Dec. 19 after recovering from offseason surgery to repair an injured Achilles tendon. The forward had recorded 12 points (5+7) in 17 games prior to his most recent injury, including an assist against the Sharks.

Granato said he believes his group is ready to rise to the occasion and seize the opportunity in the absence of both Samuelsson and Quinn.

“I feel the other guys that are going to have to step up – that you’re going to call on, that are going to fill more minutes – are in a way better mind frame than they were, their psyche’s way better than it was a month ago,” he said. “So, you know, we lose these guys, but I still feel very confident in the group that’s going to have to pick up the slack for missing these guys.”

Here’s more from practice.

1. Forward Zemgus Girgensons returned to practice Sunday for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury during the first period of the Sabres’ win in Los Angeles on Jan. 24.

Defenseman Erik Johnson, who remains on injured reserve, took part in his second practice after missing the last four games with an upper-body injury of his own.

Granato said he does not expect to recall any players from Rochester as the group is expecting to see both players cleared ahead of Tuesday’s home game versus the Dallas Stars.

2. Here’s how the group lined up:

Forwards

53 Jeff Skinner – 72 Tage Thompson – 21 Kyle Okposo

9 Zach Benson – 24 Dylan Cozens – 77 JJ Peterka

12 Jordan Greenway – 37 Casey Mittelstadt – 89 Alex Tuch

28 Zemgus Girgensons/71 Victor Olofsson – 19 Peyton Krebs – 50 Eric Robinson

Defensemen

26 Rasmus Dahlin – 10 Henri Jokiharju

25 Owen Power – 78 Jacob Bryson

75 Connor Clifton – 33 Ryan Johnson/6 Erik Johnson

Goalies

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

31 Eric Comrie

3. Goaltender Eric Comrie participated in practice after being recalled from the Rochester Americans last Sunday while Devon Levi was loaned to the Amerks.

Following practice, Granato said Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has established himself as the “No. 1 guy” and that the staff will continue to monitor the goaltending situation.

“You got to read and react,” Granato said. “So right now, Upie’s healthy. Upie’s done a really good job and kind of established himself. So, I’ll reiterate – he’s established himself right now as the No. 1 guy, and when we had three, we didn’t have a No. 1 guy.

“… In all indicators, you’re going to go with the guy that’s going in as many games as you can – when he separated himself from the group. So, you know, Upie’s done a really nice job of that. And so what does that mean for Devon? Today, it means he’s in Rochester. Tomorrow, circumstances could change and we would make a decision based on changing circumstances.