BUFFALO, N.Y. — Mattias Samuelsson knew what to expect. He’s been with the Sabres long enough to have gotten a taste of how rowdy the home crowd in Buffalo is when the team gives them a reason to be.

With the Sabres riding a seven-game winning streak coming into a home game against the Boston Bruins on Saturday, this team had finally given Sabres fans a good reason to show up.

“I’m sure people are still on their holiday benders, so it should definitely be a fun atmosphere,” Samuelsson said at Buffalo’s morning skate. “Games like RJ’s last game, Ryan Miller Night, have been fully juiced up. Those are some of my best memories in this building. Expecting one of those.”

It might not have been quite on that level, but the Sabres had their fifth sell-out crowd of the season, already surpassing last season’s total. The building was buzzing throughout a convincing 4-1 win from the Sabres that stretched their winning streak to eight games.

Samuelsson was the main event in this game. The Sabres fell behind 1-0 in the first on a David Pastrnak goal, but at the start of the second period, Samuelsson provided the spark. Early in the second period, he laid a huge hit in the defensive zone to end a play and started the rush the other way. Ryan McLeod finished with a goal on the rush to tie the game.

Less than two minutes later, Samuelsson picked up another assist when Peyton Krebs scored on a deflection. Later in the period, Samuelsson helped make it three straight goals for the Sabres when he ripped a shot by Joonas Korpisalo to make it 3-1.

“His physicality has been really good this year,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “He ends a lot of plays. He’s really on top of his game. From what he’s done chipping in offensively, the work he’s done on the PK and then playing against every top line in big minutes every night, he’s really playing a good brand of hockey for us.”

Samuelsson’s performance was even more critical because it came with Rasmus Dahlin out of the lineup. Dahlin is still back in Sweden, spending time with his fiancée, as she continues her recovery from a heart transplant. He is expected to join the team in St. Louis for its upcoming road trip. Before this game, the Sabres were 0-10-2 in the last two seasons with Dahlin out of the lineup.

Thanks, in part, to Samuelsson eating up nearly 25 minutes, blocking two shots, adding six hits and chipping in three points, the Sabres were able to get a win for their captain, who was up watching the game after midnight in Sweden.

“I don’t think I went into the game thinking I got to fill that gap that Ras obviously fills, but I just tried to step up anyway I could, play a lot of minutes in his absence and try to help the team win,” Samuelsson said. “If that was block 10 shots and play good defense, then I would’ve done that, but (I was) lucky enough to chip in offensively.”

Samuelsson now has 18 points this season and is plus-15. Only 13 defensemen in the NHL have more points at five-on-five this season, and only six defensemen have been on the ice for more of their team’s five-on-five goals than Samuelsson.

“He’s a workhorse,” Krebs said. “He plays hard in the D-zone, and when you do that, you’re going to get offensive touches because you’re not in the D-zone. He’s playing really good hockey at both ends of the ice, and he’s been one of our best players every single night.”

The Sabres again skated off home ice to a standing ovation from the crowd. They’re tied with the Florida Panthers in points percentage for the final wild-card spot in a crowded Eastern Conference and have the longest winning streak in the NHL.

“That was fun,” Samuelsson said. “Great atmosphere, obviously. They were into it and loud. I’m sure it’s a hard building to play in for the away team when it’s like that. Hoping for some more crowds like that.”

The way they’re playing, the Sabres will get them.

Quick hits

1. Ruff has talked a lot about the little details that lead to wins. Those showed up again in this game, whether it was McLeod’s backcheck after the power play expired in the third period or Josh Norris breaking his stick with a blocked shot and then showing the awareness to get a quick change at an opportune moment. Krebs was all over the Bruins when they had the extra attacker on the ice late in the game. The Sabres have gotten much better at playing with the lead, and part of it is the collective buy-in to doing the little things right.

“There’s definitely a lot of nights where you kind of grind it out and do like the old Bill Belichick, ‘Do your job’ thing,” Samuelsson said before the game. “At the end of the day, the win is the most important thing. Sometimes you have to grind it out defensively if you’re not feeling great. It’s just what you’d got to do that night. That’s something the group as a whole has learned compared to last year or the year before, where we’d find ways to screw ourselves in the end.”

2. Krebs had another strong game playing on the top line. He scored by tipping a Tage Thompson shot from the slot. It was his play away from the puck that made him useful on that line, though. This is the longest look Krebs has gotten this high in the lineup under Ruff, and he’s liked what he’s seen lately.

“He’s a guy that has a big engine that doesn’t get tired,” Ruff said. “You don’t see him tired on the ice very often, and now he’s making more plays, he’s more comfortable.”

Krebs struggled with some turnovers when he first moved up to the top line, but he’s starting to find some chemistry playing with Thompson and Josh Doan. The fact that he’s found a way to fit in is part of why the Sabres are stringing wins together.

“I’ve been trying each and every night just to grow into it and not force it,” Krebs said. “I don’t want to try to do something to stay up there. I’m just going to keep playing my game and having fun.”

3. Jason Zucker was back on the ice for the Sabres’ morning skate on Saturday and has a chance to return when the Sabres hit the road for games in St. Louis, Dallas and Columbus. The Sabres are 8-0 during this stretch of games that Zucker has missed, and the veteran joked on Saturday that it’s because they shed some “dead weight,” referring to himself. Ruff has found some chemistry with the forward lines, so it will be interesting to see where he fits Zucker into the mix.