Buffalo Sabres (31-36-6) at Ottawa Senators (39-28-6)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM | Canadian Tire Centre | Ottawa, Ontario
TV: MSG-B, ESPN+
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Ottawa Senators
Record: 39-28-6 | 84 PTS
Division Ranking: 4th in Atlantic Division
Last Game: 1-0 Overtime Loss vs Penguins
PP: 12th (23.7%) | Sabres Rank: 26th (18.4%)
PK: 19th (77.1%) | Sabres Rank: 23rd (75.9%)
What to Watch
1. Going Sweeping?
The Sabres sure have their Kryptonite teams that they struggle with. Unfortunately for us, it’s pretty much the ones on paper they should beat. Or at least compete with. Seattle, San Jose, Montreal, Utah, Detroit and Philly to mention a few. Buffalo has a shockingly bad 2 wins against those powerhouses this season, out of 16 games played. 2 out of 16! Let that sink in. A good team feasts on that competition, winning at least 10 times. More like 12 to be honest. Instead, the Sabres seems to save their best for the top tier teams in the NHL. Beating the likes of Vegas, Winnipeg and the Capitals twice this year. (2 of 3 games) It really is a head scratcher.
The Sabres have had Ottawa’s number this year. Despite the Senators having a vastly better season and likely a playoff appearance to look forward to, Buffalo has won all three matchups so far this year. The Sabres have outscored the Senators 12-3 in those games. While the Sabres will be without Josh Norris and Jordan Greenway, the Senators will be without their Captain Brady Tkachuk. The Sabres will try and shut the door on Ottawa tonight in an unlikely sweep of the season series – in a season full of disappointment, it would be nice for Buffalo to secure the season sweep against a divisional rival.
2. Offense on a roll
The Sabres offense has been great recently. They have scored at least 4 goals in four of their last 5 games. Ryan McLeod has found his groove as he has points in 9 of his last 11 games and 9 in his last 5. Jack Quinn is shooting lights out at the moment with 4 goals on 6 shots in his last 3 games. Tage Thompson is edging closer and closer to the 40-goal mark. Hopefully, Buffalo can maintain the momentum and force the Senators to focus more on their own zone.
Mr. McLeod sure is endearing himself to Buffalo fans. Not only is he fast and defensively responsible but his offensive skills have been highlighted lately as well. Honestly, he has shown good creativity and finish for most of the year. Along with some added hustle. In his last 5 games, Ryan has 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points. There were Sabres fans that didn’t know he was capable of 9 points in half a season. McLeod has been leading the charge and is always involved when he is out there.
Meanwhile, team MVP candidate Alex Tuch has been putting the biscuit in the basket on the regular. He has 5 goals (7 points) in his last 5 games and has been all over the ice. His sweet tipped-in goals have really shown his skills lately, along with his net front presence. Not to mention his puck thievery along with his threat to score shorthanded. Tuch is in my top 3 players for Buffalo this season, along with McLeod and Rasmus Dahlin.
3. Respect Your Elders
Not many would have predicted James Reimer would be getting the majority of starts without injuries necessitating it, but here we are. Reimer is the hot hand right now as he has won his last four starts. He has been able to provide some stability in net for Buffalo down the stretch. If he chooses to play another year, his agent will point to this stretch of games to show the Reimer has some game left.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Zach Benson – Jiri Kulich – Tage Thompson
JJ Peterka – Ryan McLeod – Jack Quinn
Jason Zucker – Peyton Krebs – Alex Tuch
Beck Malenstyn – Tyson Kozak – Sam Lafferty
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin – Mattias Samuelsson
Bowen Byram – Connor Clifton
Owen Power – Jacob Bernard-Docker
(Jacob Bryson)
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, James Reimer (expected)
Ottawa Senators
Forwards
Fabian Zetterlund – Tim Stützle – Claude Giroux
David Perron – Dylan Cozens – Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio
Matthew Highmore – Adam Gaudette – Angus Crookshank
Defense
Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot – Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven – Nikolas Matinpalo
(Dennis Gilbert)
Goaltenders
Linus Ullmark (expected), Anton Forsberg