Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson exited Friday’s game against New Jersey after going into concussion protocol, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. He was hit with around 12 minutes left in the third and left the ice bleeding; head coach Lindy Ruff didn’t have an update on him after the game. Samuelsson has had a strong bounce-back showing this season, picking up 12 points in 22 games (just two shy of tying his career best from a year ago) while recording 52 blocked shots. Notably, he is logging just under 22 minutes per game, second only to Rasmus Dahlin and was showing that he could consistently handle the top-four role that GM Kevyn Adams had envisioned when he signed the blueliner to a seven-year deal coming off his entry-level contract in 2022.