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Game 13 Preview & Open Thread: Senators at Sabres

Mar 27, 2024; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) looks to make a pass during the first period against the Ottawa Senators at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Game 13

Ottawa Senators (6-5-0) at Buffalo Sabres (4-7-1)

Puck Drop: 7:00 PM | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY

TV: MSG-B

Radio: WGR 550

Know Your Opponent

Ottawa Senators

Record: 6-5-0 | 12 PTS

Division Ranking: 5th in Atlantic

Last Game: 3-0 win vs Kraken

PP: 3rd (33.3%)

PK: 19th (77.4%)

What to Watch

1.  Win One for America

There is never a bad time for sports to distract us from the grind of daily life. No more is this needed in the USA than on a presidential election day. After a never-ending stream political ads infiltrating our lives, Americans can breathe a sigh of relief that the election season is entering its final stage. As the other three major North American sports leagues are without games tonight, the burden falls on the NHL to provide us escape as election results roll in. Ottawa will be looking for their third win in their last four games when they enter KeyBank Center. The Sabres will have a chance to do what many Americans do every election day: send some senators home with a loss.

2. Benson Likely to Return

With all joking aside, this is an important game for the Sabres. Despite some decent effort, they have lost their last three games. Lindy Ruff emphasized this week that “playing OK isn’t good enough.” They need to take their game up a level to string together some wins. One this that might help them in this endeavor is the return of Zach Benson. He’s been working through an injury he sustained in Prague. All signs point to him returning against the Senators as he practiced on the second powerplay unit on Monday. His vision and hockey IQ help him elevate his linemates and create offense. This could be the key to turning around the poor season starts of Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn. If that line can right the ship, it will do wonders for the Sabres offense.

3. Keep Your Head

The Senators excel with the man advantage. They currently have the 3rd best powerplay in the league while scoring on one third of their opportunities. It is a balanced attack as well with 8 different goal scorers. Not surprisingly, captain Brady Tkachuk leads the pack with 4 powerplay goals. Buffalo will need to keep their heads and avoid unnecessary penalties. They were unable to do so the last time they played a Tkachuk. Hopefully, they can focus on winning on the scoreboard and don’t get caught up in post-play shenanigans.

UPDATE (3:40 pm): The Sabres have loaned Jiri Kulich to the AHL’s Rochester Americans.

Projected Lineups

Buffalo Sabres

Forwards

Peterka – Thompson – Tuch

Benson – Cozens – Quinn

Greenway – McLeod – Zucker

Malenstyn – Krebs – Lafferty

Defense

Dahlin – Byram

Power – Bryson

Samuelsson – Jokiharju

Starter: Luukkonen

Ottawa Senators

Forwards

Tkachuk – Stutzle – Greig

Giroux – Norris – Batherson

Gregor – Ostapchuk – Amadio

Cousins – Gaudette – Macewen

Defense

Sanderson – Hamonic

Chabot – Jensen

Kleven – Bernard-Docker

Starter: Ullmark

Talking Points