Scorching Sabres look to extend winning streak in showdown with Senators
Another Buffalo victory on Tuesday would give the Sabres their best run since their 10-gamer early in the 2018-19 season. And if it comes in regulation, the Sabres would move ahead of Ottawa in the East via tiebreakers.
On Dec. 23, 2024, the Buffalo Sabres posted a 7-1 win over the New York Islanders in UBS Arena that snapped a 13-game winless streak that effectively ruined their season. Exactly one year later, things have suddenly become quite a bit different around this franchise.
For starters, of course, general manager Kevyn Adams was fired last week and replaced by senior adviser Jarmo Kekalainen. The Sabres are 3-0 since Kekalainen took over, and their six-game winning streak is the longest running one in the NHL.
On Tuesday night in Canadian Tire Centre, the Sabres (17-14-4) can pull even closer in the playoff race when they meet the Ottawa Senators (18-13-4) in a battle of the East's two hottest teams. Last year at this time? Buffalo was 11-19-4.
Sabres right wing Jack Quinn scores against Senators goaltender Leevi Meriläinen during a game at KeyBank Center on Oct. 15.
Joed Viera, Buffalo News
Another Buffalo victory on Tuesday would give the Sabres their best run since their 10-gamer early in the 2018-19 season. And if it comes in regulation, the Sabres would move ahead of the Senators in the East via tiebreakers.
Ottawa has won four in a row and outscored opponents, 19-8, over that stretch. The Sens had back-to-back six-goal games over the weekend in a home win over Chicago and Sunday's 6-2 thumping of Boston in TD Garden.
The Sabres, who took Monday off, enter the game three points out of the East's wild-card slot, which is shared by New Jersey and Boston. They are five points behind Tampa Bay and Montreal for third place in the Atlantic Division after the Lightning beat St. Louis, 5-2, Monday night.
"It just comes down to competing every night, being consistent," winger Zach Benson said after Sunday's 3-1 win in New Jersey. "Our belief is super-high. It's really high. We know the skill we have in this room."
"We're getting comfortable playing with leads, making plays under pressure," added winger Peyton Krebs. "We're a lot less choppy throwing pucks away and a lot more crisp."
The goaltending has been stellar on this winning streak. Alex Lyon has five of the wins and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 26 of 27 shots Sunday. Buffalo goalies are rolling a 1.97 goals-against average and .931 save percentage during the streak.
Luukkonen beat the Devils for his first win of the season on the road, where he had been 0-4-1 with a 3.97/.843 stat line.
"I felt I had to be better," Luukkonen said. "It really didn't matter if it was home or away, I had to be better. We've got a streak going here and the guys have been unbelievable."
The Sabres have won five straight games over the Senators and are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings, including an 8-4 whipping in KeyBank Center on Oct. 15.
The game will mark the return of center Josh Norris to Ottawa, where he played parts of six seasons before being traded to the Sabres in March. Norris scored his fourth goal of the season Sunday and has 10 points in nine games.
Former Sabres player Dylan Cozens, acquired by the Sens in the trade, has 11 goals and 16 assists in 35 games with a minus-9 rating that's the worst among Ottawa forwards.
Pucks hitting the net
Benson had no goals in his first 18 games this season but his game-winner in the second period in New Jersey was his third in the last five games."I'm still super-confident," he said. "I just stuck with it and it's good I'm finding the back of the net of late."
Krebs, who had a career-high 10 goals last season, finally got his first of the year Sunday in his 35th game. Corralling a Tage Thompson miss off the end boards, Krebs pounded home an empty-netter with 2:01 left.
"I was hoping it went in first for 'Tommer,' " Krebs said of Thompson, who lost a six-game goal scoring streak. "But it was a nice perfect bounce for me and I slammed that thing probably through the net."
Shootout stats
Just in case this one goes to a shootout, it's notable the Sabres and Senators are both 3-0 in the skills competitions thus far this season, behind only Anaheim (4-0).The shootout goal by Sabres winger Jack Quinn on Saturday against the New York Islanders marked the seventh of his career on 12 attempts. His 58.3% conversion rate is the highest among all Sabres skaters with 10 or more attempts since shootouts began in 2005.
"It's just a gift he has," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "I think shooting has always been a passion of his. If there's one guy you always see in the shooting area off the ice, he's the one back there shooting. He's a guy who loves to shoot and I've been around players like that. ... He's pretty good at hitting his mark."
The Islanders victory allowed the Sabres to snap the teams' tie for the all-time NHL lead in shootout victories. Buffalo improved to 96-83 while New York fell to 95-93. The Sabres also tied Nashville for the lead in home shootout wins with 51.