‘His presence will be needed if Buffalo is to defy the odds and qualify for the postseason, a challenging quest that will require help from other teams and continues at 7 p.m. Thursday in Detroit against the Red Wings. The Sabres are 30-17-4 with Samuelsson in the lineup, compared to 7-15-3 without him. He can shut down the opponents’ top players, and Rasmus Dahlin is able to play to his remarkable strengths in the offensive zone when Samuelsson is on the ice.’