One Preseason Game, Two Defensemen Down: Buffalo's Blue Line Takes a Hit

Buffalo lost two defensemen in one exhibition game against Columbus, and one of them was half of its top pair.

Mattias Samuelsson blocked a shot and is now week to week with a lower-body injury, coach Lindy Ruff said Wednesday. He'd been playing next to captain Rasmus Dahlin, and with the opener on Oct. 1, in Columbus as it happens, he could miss the start of his seventh season.

Olen Zellweger was also hurt in that game and went into the concussion protocol. The Sabres got him from Anaheim in June to play in their top four.

That leaves Ruff with a week of preseason to rework his pairs.