Sabre Noise
Fansided

Buffalo Sabres Opponent Outlook: Ottawa Senators

By Melissa Kania

facebooktwitterreddit

The Ottawa Senators will look to start the season off strong as they visit the Buffalo Sabres for the first of several meetings between the teams this season. It all begins next Thursday, when the teams face off at First Niagara Center to kick off the 2015-2016 NHL season.

More from Sabres News

The Senators finished last season seventh in the Eastern Conference with 99 points and a record of 43-26-13. They went 23-13-5 at home and 20-13-8 on the road and made it to the first round of the playoffs. The Sens took the Habs to seven games, only to be ousted in the opening round.

Last season, Mark Stone and Bobby Ryan led the Senators with five points each against the Buffalo Sabres. Stone put up a pair of goals and three assists, while Ryan scored four goals and added one assist.

Erik Karlsson and Mike Hoffman each registered four points against Buffalo.

For the Sabres, Matt Moulson had four points (3-1) in four games against Ottawa last season. Philip Varone, Marcus Foligno and Tyler Ennis each registered two points against the Sens last year.

The Senators won three of four meetings against Buffalo last season, outscoring the Sabres 14-10 and outshooting them 131-116. The Sabres’ lone win against Ottawa last season came in the shootout, 5-4.

This coming season, there will be a few (mostly minor) changes to the Sens lineup.

The Senators only picked up one new acquisition via free agency: Eric O’Dell, from the Winnipeg Jets.

Meanwhile, Carter Camper (WSH) and Erik Condra (TBL) will not be returning to Ottawa, having both signed elsewhere in the offseason.

Of course, one of the trades the Senators made this summer involved none other than the Buffalo Sabres.

Robin Lehner and David Legwand have come to Buffalo, with Ottawa receiving a 1st-round pick in exchange for the pair. With Lehner gone, the Sens’ goaltending tandem is currently Craig Anderson and Andrew Hammond.

The Sens also picked up forward Travis Ewanyk and a 2015 4th-round pick from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Eric Gryba.

Mike Hoffman, Alex Chiasson, Shane Prince and Cole Schneider all re-signed with the Sens over the course of the summer.

This season, the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators will face off four times, beginning, of course, with the season-opener at First Niagara Center on October 8. The teams won’t reconvene until January 26, when they’ll meet in Ottawa. They’ll then face off on February 16 in Ottawa before closing the season series on March 18th in Buffalo.

The big question, of course, will be how Lehner will fare for the Sabres in net this season. Goaltending has been one of the big questions leading into this season for the Buffalo Sabres, and Lehner will need to step up – against his old squad, and also against all the others.

Next: Predicting the Top Goal Scorer

More from Sabre Noise

Home/Sabres News