One of the Ottawa Senators' biggest rivals are the Buffalo Sabres. Arguably the most memorable moment of the rivalry was the famous 2007 brawl in Buffalo.
While the Senators ended their eight-year playoff drought last season, the Sabres haven't made the playoffs since 2011, which is the longest drought in the NHL.
This season, high expectations were on the Senators while not much may have been expected from Buffalo, but the Senators may have just let the Sabres get hot as of late.
Sabres' win over Senators ignited spark in Buffalo
Three games into this season, frustration was beyond all throughout Buffalo. The Sabres were 0-3-0 and had lost ex-Senator Josh Norris for a significant amount of time prior to Wednesday's showdown against the Senators at KeyBank Center.
The Senators fell 8-4 to the Sabres that night. After Sabre fans were being quiet when the Senators led 2-1 in the second period, the fans were finally buzzing with the Sabres scoring seven goals afterward. The win against Ottawa may have lit a spark throughout Buffalo now.
Yesterday, while the Senators fell 5-4 to the New York Islanders in a brutal third period collapse, the Sabres remained hot. The Sabres defeated the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 3-0 at home. Shutting out the Panthers after defeating the Senators is a big way to create buzz back into the city.
After scoring two goals in the first three games combined, the Sabres have scored 11 goals in their past two games combined.
To make things worse for the Senators, the Sabres have won the past five games against the Senators.
The Sabres and Senators will be battling for a playoff position this season in a tight Atlantic Division. Wins against certain teams can always create a spark and hot streak for one, and the Sabres may have just done that with defeating the Senators as the start.