Sabres at Senators | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines

The Buffalo Sabres look to continue riding their red-hot offense – and conclude their three-game road trip on a high note – as they visit the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday at Canadian Tire Centre.

Buffalo began the trip by splitting a weekend back-to-back, losing Saturday in Philadelphia and beating the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals in an 8-5 thriller Sunday.

That win, which saw the Sabres match their season high in goals, also featured timely shot blocks and the composure to, as Washington surged back, continue reclaiming the momentum in a hostile road environment. They did so twice in an eight-day span, also beating the West’s best, Winnipeg, on March 23.

“Our mentality is different now,” said captain Rasmus Dahlin, who played in his 500th career game Sunday. “I think it’s a maturity thing. We know our game. We know we have something we can fall back on. [Stuff] is going to happen on the ice. You just have to stick with it and make sure you have a better shift next time.”

• Read: Teammates share memories ahead of Dahlin's 500th game

The Sabres now turn their attention to the Senators for their second matchup in eight days. A win Tuesday would complete a sweep of the season series, as Buffalo has won the three prior matchups by a combined score of 12-3.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the 7 p.m. puck drop.

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.)

Streaming (out of market): ESPN+

Radio: WGR 550

Click here for more ways to watch Sabres games.

Lineup notes (updated 6:35 p.m.)

Here are the Sabres' lines from warmups, identical from Sunday in Washington. That includes James Reimer in net, as he's making his sixth start in the last eight games.

Storylines

1. Goals, Goals, Goals

The Sabres have scored 19 times across their last three games; that’s tied for the most by any team in a three-game span this season, and it's the most by Buffalo since December of 2022.

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia rank near the bottom of the league in goal prevention, and the Sabres took advantage. Washington, on the other hand, hadn’t allowed more than five goals in a game this season, and goaltender Logan Thompson entered the afternoon with a .917 save percentage.

Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch both beat him twice. Jack Quinn, Sam Lafferty and Ryan McLeod also scored, and Peyton Krebs added an empty netter. Quinn’s offensive resurgence has offered a massive boost, as the 23-year-old has 10 points (4+6) in his last seven games.

The power play has built momentum, too, going 3-for-8 over the weekend and 9-for-31 (29.0 percent) over the last 10 games; Sunday was Buffalo’s fifth game this season with multiple power-play goals.

2. Road work

Postgame Sunday, the Sabres identified their 19 blocked shots as a sign of desperation. Even with the regular season winding down, they remain intent on building an identity to carry into 2025-26. That’s most pressing on the road, where Buffalo has gone 12-22-3 this season.

“You’re trying to establish a (style of play) that’ll help you win every game, and we’re talking about our road record,” Ruff said. “Our road record hasn’t been that good. We’re trying to play a harder brand, a simpler brand of hockey. Take care of the puck more and be in more shot lanes and work on our road record.”

All season, Ruff has urged his team to not overextend their shifts, especially in second periods on the road with the long change. He felt Sunday was “maybe one of our best road second periods all year,” citing puck management and discipline as key factors. The Sabres outscored the Capitals 3-1 in that middle frame.

“I’ve really liked the maturity as we've progressed throughout the season, of guys buying into playing the game the way it needs to be played, especially at certain times,” Thompson said. “There's gonna be times to make a play and try things offensively, and then there's gonna be times to just put a puck behind them and cut your losses. And I think we’ve learned that the hard way.”

3. Scouting the Senators

Dylan Cozens and the Senators last played Sunday, too, losing 1-0 in overtime at Pittsburgh. Still, Ottawa went 10-3-2 in March and sits comfortably in the first wild card spot.

In last Tuesday’s matchup at KeyBank Center, a 3-2 Sabres win, both Senators goals came on the power play. Brady Tkachuk (14 power-play goals) and Drake Batherson (10) rank among the NHL’s best on the man advantage, and Ottawa’s power play has converted at a near-league-average 23.7 percent this season.

Tim Stutzle leads the team with 71 points (21+50), although he’s cooled off with just one goal in his last 12 games. Cozens has nine points (3+6) in 12 games since the March 7 trade.

Anton Forsberg started in net Sunday, so Linus Ullmark figures to get the nod versus his former team. Ullmark has faced Buffalo just once this season, allowing five goals on 34 shots Nov. 5.

Game notes

• McLeod has nine points (2+7) in his last five games. He’s up to 47 points (18+29) this season, sixth most on the Sabres. And the team is 11-3-1 when he scores a goal, as he did Sunday.
• Thompson, who scored the third-period game winner last Tuesday versus Ottawa, has nine goals in 16 career games against the Senators.
• Connor Clifton has four assists in his last five games after totaling nine helpers in his previous 59 games.