Having lost three straight and currently sitting 13 points out the Eastern Conference’s final wild card spot, the Ottawa Senators return home to take on the Buffalo Sabres.
Ottawa: 20-22-5-4
Buffalo: 16-35-2-1
7:00 PM EST
Canadian Tire Centre
Ottawa, Ontario
TV: TSN5, RDS2, Bell TV; Radio: TSN 1200
MATCH-UP HISTORY
Historically, the Senators and Sabres have always had close games. The first meeting between the the teams this season was no different as the Sabres scored a 5-4 shootout win in Buffalo. The next game was a bit more one sided as the Senators notched a 5-2 win in Ottawa. Bobby Ryan leads the way for the Sens with 4 goals against the Sabres in the previous two contests while Matt Moulson, Brian Flynn, Marcus Foligno, and Chris Stewart all have 2 points against the Senators.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
TYLER ENNIS, BUF: Ennis leads the Sabres in scoring with 31 points in 54 games. While he may only be 5’9, he’s constantly causing havoc down low for opposing teams, and his play against Ottawa is no different. The Senators’ defencemen need to avoid being caught flat-footed to keep up with the diminutive but speedy centre.
BOBBY RYAN, OTT: The Senators’ winger is on a 3 game pointless drought, coinciding with the team’s current 3 game losing streak. He’s had his chances in the last few games, but just hasn’t been able to connect. Is he due? A game against Buffalo could be just what the doctor ordered given his 4 goals against the Sabres this season.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. GET THE PUCK ON NET: The Senators have scored a meager 3 goals in their last 3 games. Go figure they’vs lost all of them. They need to pepper the Sabres’ goalie with shots from everywhere tonight. If one goes in early, it could give the Senators a much needed confidence boost given their recent offensive struggles.
2. ROBIN ON THE REBOUND: The Senators need Robin Lehner to bounce back after he lost his cool late in the 4-1 loss to Columbus. It’s easy to understand why Lehner was frustrated with the loss and the Blue Jackets’ final goal after he’d played such a strong game, but now he has to put that in the rear-view mirror and give Ottawa another chance to win. If his post-practice media scrum from yesterday is any indication, he already has.
3. BIG GUNS DELIVER: This is closely connected to the first key, but the Senators need their big scorers to deliver if they’re going to break out of this funk. Both Ryan and Erik Karlsson have been held pointless in the last 3 games, and Clarke MacArthur has struggled to put up points consistently for a while now. Along with the other topsix forwards, these players need to deliver when the team needs them most.
PROJECTED LINE-UPS
Here are the line-ups as per the Senators’ website:
SENATORS:
FORWARDS
Milan Michalek – Kyle Turris – Mark Stone
Clarke MacArthur – Mika Zibanejad – Bobby Ryan
Mike Hoffman – Curtis Lazar – Alex Chiasson
Erik Condra – David Legwand – Chris Neil
DEFENCE
Marc Methot – Erik Karlsson
Jared Cowen – Eric Gryba
Mark Borowiecki – Patrick Wiercioch
GOALIES
Robin Lehner
Andrew Hammond
Scratches and injuries: Cody Ceci, Chris Phillips, Craig Anderson
STARS
FORWARDS
Chris Stewart – Zemgus Girgensons – Tyler Ennis
Matt Moulson – Torrey Mitchell – Brian Gionta
Marcus Foligno – Brian Flynn – Drew Stafford
Nicolas Deslauriers – Matt Ellis – Patrick Kaleta
DEFENCE
Josh Gorges – Tyler Myers
Nikita Zadorov – Rasmus Ristolainen
Mike Weber – Andrej Meszaros
GOALIES
Jhonas Enroth
Michal Neuvirth
Scratches and Injuries: Cody Hodgson, Andre Benoit, Tyson Strachan
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the game!