Buffalo Sabres - Ottawa Senators Game Preview
4/2/26 - 7:00pm at Canadian Tire Center in Kanata, ON
Buffalo – 46-21-8 | - 100 points – 1st place in the Atlantic Division
Ottawa – 38-26-10 | - 86 points – 5th place in the Atlantic Division
Special Teams
Buffalo
Power Play – 21.4% (15th)
Penalty Kill – 81.7% (5th)
Ottawa
Power Play – 22.4% (11th)
Penalty Kill - 74.5% (30th)
Top Scorers
Buffalo
Tage Thompson: 75 GP, 38 G, 40 A, 78 PTS
Rasmus Dahlin: 71 GP, 17 G, 50 A, 67 PTS
Alex Tuch: 72 GP, 29 G, 31 A, 60 PTS
Ottawa
Tim Stutzle: 74 GP, 32 G, 44 A, 76 PTS
Drake Batherson: 71 GP, 30 G, 34 A, 64 PTS
Dylan Cozens: 74 GP, 25 G, 27 A, 52 PTS
Starting Goalies(projected)
Buffalo – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (19-8-3, 2.58 GAA, .910 Sv %)
Ottawa – Linus Ullmark (23-11-8, 2.85 GAA, .886 Sv %)
Other Sabres Stories
Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings (projected)
Forwards
Zach Benson - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Noah Ostlund - Josh Norris - Josh Doan
Jason Zucker - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn
Peyton Krebs - Sam Carrick - Beck Malenstyn
Ex. Tyson Kozak, Tanner Pearson, Josh Dunne, Jordan Greenway
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power - Bowen Byram
Logan Stanley - Conor Timmins
Ex. Luke Schenn, Michael Kesselring, Zach Metsa
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Alex Lyon
Colten Ellis
Injuries
Justin Danforth (lower body, Oct. 18; injured reserve)
Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve - out for the season)
Notes
Buffalo would clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2010-11 with a win tonight. The Sabres earned their 2,000th win all-time on March 31 vs. NY Islanders and became the 11th team in NHL history to reach that milestone. The win gave Buffalo 100 points in 2025-26, the first time the team has reached that mark since 2009-10 and the 10th time in franchise history.
The Sabres have earned at least one point in 23 of their last 27 contests (20-4-3), including a league-best (entering play on Wednesday) 14 wins and 30 points since the Olympic break. Since Dec. 9 and entering play on Wednesday, the Sabres ranked first among all NHL teams in wins (35) and points (74). Buffalo’s 30 regulation wins in that span also led the league entering play on Wednesday. Tampa Bay’s 24 regulation wins ranked second. Buffalo has not lost consecutive games in regulation since the team fell in three straight from Dec. 3 at Philadelphia to Dec. 8 at Calgary.
Tage Thompson has tallied 55 points (25+30) in 46 games since Dec. 9 and his 22 even-strength goals in that span ranked tied for third among all NHL skaters entering play on Wednesday. Thompson is riding a four-game point streak and he has registered six points (2+4) in that span. A point in tonight’s game would give him his fifth point streak of at least five games in 2025-26. Thompson’s 211 goals scored as a member of the Sabres place him tied with Alexander Mogilny for 12th place on Buffalo’s all-time list. Thompson needs seven more goals to pass Jason Pominville (217 goals with Buffalo) and gain sole possession of 10th place on Buffalo’s all-time goal-scoring list.
Rasmus Dahlin ranks first among all Sabres skaters in assists (32) and second in points (47) since Dec. 9. His 15 goals in that span ranked tied for second among all NHL defensemen entering play on Wednesday. Dahlin has seven points (4+3) in his last seven games.
Peyton Krebs has posted a point in three consecutive games (2+1) and a point tonight would mark his third point streak of four or more games this season. Krebs has scored a goal in back-to-back games and a goal in tonight’s game would give him the longest goal streak of his career.
Jack Quinn has posted five points (2+3) in his last five games, including at least one point in two consecutive contests (1+2). A point tonight would mark Quinn’s fifth point streak of three or more games this season.
Dating back to Jan. 19, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has appeared in 13 games and he has made 333 saves on 361 shots (.922) in that span.
In that span, Alex Lyon has recorded a .914 save percentage (363 saves on 397 shots).
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