Tag Archives: Ottawa Senators

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Sunday, February 16
Toronto 2 at Buffalo 5
Goals: Larsson, Sheary, Eichel, Okposo, Vesey
Goalie: Hutton (20 saves/22 shots)
PP: 1/3; PK: 1/1; Shots: Buffalo 36 – Toronto 22

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 289)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Matt Hunwick (neck, Oct. 3; injured reserve) – 59 games
Vladimir Sobotka (knee, Nov. 9; injured reserve) – 43 games
Tage Thompson (shoulder, Nov. 19; injured reserve) – 39 games
Linus Ullmark (lower body, Jan. 30; injured reserve) – 9 games
Michael Frolik (illness, Feb. 16) – 1 game

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
2/13: Assigned F Scott Wilson to Rochester (AHL); Activated F Kyle Okposo and F Victor Olofsson from IR
2/14: Placed D Zach Bogosian on waivers; Assigned D Lawrence Pilut to Rochester (AHL)
2/15: Recalled D John Gilmour and G Andrew Hammond from Rochester (AHL); Assigned D Zach Bogosian to Rochester
2/17: Signed F Taylor Leier to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700,000; Placed Leier on waivers; Recalled F Scott Wilson from Rochester (AHL); Assigned G Andrew Hammond to Rochester (AHL)

UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, Feb. 22: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 23: Winnipeg at Buffalo, 3 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 26: Buffalo at Colorado, 8 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 28: Buffalo at Vegas, 10 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 29: Buffalo at Arizona, 8 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES at SENATORS

• This is the fourth and final meeting between the Sabres and Senators this season.
• Last meeting: Ottawa defeated Buffalo 5-2 in Buffalo on Jan. 28.
• The Sabres are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Senators; 5-3-2 on the road.
• This is the 145th game all-time between Buffalo and Ottawa; Buffalo has a 70-54-20 series record.
• The Sabres are 31-30-12 on the road against the Senators all-time.

THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 6-4-4 all-time on February 18.
• February 18, 1971: Ron Anderson and Phil Goyette both contribute three points in a 6-6 tie with Pittsburgh as the Sabres erase a 3-0 deficit following the first period.
• February 18, 2017: Rasmus Ristolainen records his 100th NHL point in a 3-2 win vs. St. Louis, becoming the third-youngest Sabres defenseman ever to reach that milestone.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• Tonight’s game is the first in a seven-game stretch during which the Sabres will play six road games. The lone home game will take place on Feb. 23 vs. Winnipeg.
• The Sabres have gone 11-5-3 in their last 19 games against the Senators.
• Jack Eichel has recorded 24 points (10+14) in 16 career games against the Senators, including eight points (3+5) in seven road games. The 24 points represent his highest total against any NHL opponent and his 1.5 points per game against the Senators ties his scoring rate against the Vegas Golden Knights for his personal best.
• Sam Reinhart has totaled 17 points (7+10) in his last 17 meetings with the Senators.
• Colin Miller has recorded five points (1+4) in his last four games against Ottawa.
• Zemgus Girgensons has posted a point in both of Buffalo’s last two meetings with the Senators (1+1).
• Sam Reinhart has recorded 17 points (9+8) in 18 games since the beginning of January. His nine goals during that stretch tied for 15th-most in the league entering play Monday.

RETURN OF THE ROOKIE

• Victor Olofsson, who missed 15 games with a lower body injury from Jan. 4 to Feb. 11, scored twice in his return to the lineup on Thursday vs. Columbus and then recorded an assist on Sunday vs. Toronto.
• Entering play Monday, Olofsson ranked second among all NHL rookies with 18 goals this season. His .86 points per game led all rookies with at least three games played.
• Olofsson’s 38 points in 44 games so far this season (.864 points per game) this season ranks as the fourth-best scoring rate among Sabres rookies with at least 15 games played:
  • Rick Martin (1971-72): 1.014 PTS/GP
  • Gilbert Perreault (1970-71): .923 PTS/GP
  • Ray Sheppard (1987-88): .878 PTS/GP
  • Victor Olofsson (2019-20): .864 PTS/GP
  • Dave Andreychuk (1982-83): .860 PTS/GP
  • Phil Housley (1982-83): .857 PTS/GP
  • Christian Ruuttu (1986-87): .855 PTS/GP

TEEN TITAN

• Rasmus Dahlin has totaled 79 points (13+66) through his first 131 NHL games, including 35 points (4+31) in 49 games this season.
• With his assist on Feb. 16 vs. Toronto, Dahlin tied Ray Bourque (79) for the second-most points recorded by an NHL defenseman before his 20th birthday. He now trails only Phil Housley (132) for the most points ever recorded by a teenage defenseman.
• Aaron Ekblad’s 61 points (22+39) in 129 games as a teenager led active NHL defensemen for most points before turning 20 until Dahlin recorded his 62nd point with an assist in his 108th NHL game on Dec. 14 at NY Islanders. Andrei Svechnikov is the only active teenager in the NHL with more career points than Dahlin’s 79.
• Entering play Monday, Dahlin’s .60 points per game in his career ranked as the 13th-highest rate among active NHL defensemen with at least 10 career games played. His .71 points per game so far this season represent the best single-season scoring rate by a Sabres defenseman with at least 15 games played since Phil Housley (1.01) in 1989-90.

SETTING THE PACE

• With his 29th goal in his 49th game of the season on Jan. 28 vs. Ottawa, Jack Eichel topped his previous best total set in the 2018-19 season (77 GP). He now has 33 goals in 58 games played this season.
• Eichel’s output through 59 team games currently has him on pace to finish the season with 46 goals and 103 points, which would be the highest goal and point totals by a Sabre since Pat LaFontaine (53+95) and Alexander Mogilny (76+51) in 1992-93.
• LaFontaine (83 in 1992-93) and Mogilny (78 in 1992-93) are the only Sabres ever to have recorded more even-strength points in a season than the 70 Eichel is currently on pace for.
• Eichel is on pace to become just the ninth player in franchise history to record 80 points in back-to-back seasons at least once, joining Danny Gare, Dale Hawerchuk, Pat LaFontaine, Rick Martin, Alexander Mogilny, Gilbert Perreault, Rene Robert and Pierre Turgeon.
• Sam Reinhart scored his 20th goal of the season in his 55th game on Feb. 7 at NY Rangers, surpassing the 2015-16 season as his previous quickest season to 20 goals (69 games). Reinhart is currently on pace to set career-high totals in both goals (29) and points (67).
• Despite missing 10 games due to injury, Rasmus Dahlin is currently on pace to record 51 points this season, which would make him the Sabres’ first 50-point defenseman since Garry Galley (54) in 1995-96.
• Victor Olofsson, who has missed 15 games due to injury this season, is on pace for 58 points. If he maintains that pace, his output would supplant Eichel’s 2015-16 season as the seventh-most prolific rookie season in Sabres history and would be the best since Ray Sheppard’s 65 points in 1987-88. He is on pace for 27 goals, which would rank him sixth among all rookies in franchise history.

JACK ATTACK

• Jack Eichel has been held without a point in just four of his last 40 games played. During that stretch, which began with a four-goal performance vs. Ottawa on Nov. 16, Buffalo’s captain has totaled 55 points (25+30) in 40 appearances, also missing one game due to injury. Only Artemi Panarin (57) had more points during that stretch entering play Monday.
  • Entering play Monday, only three NHL players had recorded at least a point in more games this season than Eichel’s 44: Leon Draisaitl (49), Patrick Kane (46) and Nathan MacKinnon (46).
• With his assist on Feb. 11 vs. Detroit, Eichel became the 14th player ever to record 70 points in consecutive seasons at least once as a member of the Sabres. The last player to do so was Derek Roy in 2007-08 (81) and 2008-09 (70).
• Eichel recorded his 70th point of the season in his 56th game on Feb. 11 vs. Detroit, tying for the 10th-fastest season to 70 points in Sabres history. Only six different players in franchise history have reached the 70-point mark quicker: Gilbert Perreault (3x), Pat Lafontaine (2x), Rick Martin, Alexander Mogilny, Rene Robert, Pierre Turgeon.
• With his 40th assist on Feb. 13 vs. Columbus, Eichel became the first Sabres player to record 30 goals and 40 assists in a season since Jason Pominville (30+43) in 2011-12. He became the 16th different player in franchise history to accomplish this feat at least once.

POINTS IN BUNCHES

• Jack Eichel has recorded 19 multi-point games this season, ranking as the 11th-most in the NHL before Monday’s games. The Sabres are 14-3-2 (.789) in those games.
• Entering play Monday, Eichel’s six multi-goal games ranked sixth in the league and his 11 multi-assist games tied for eighth-most.
• Eichel has recorded at least three points eight times this season, topping his previous career-high total (6) set in the 2016-17 season. Only Leon Draisaitl (12), Connor McDavid (11) and David Pastrnak (10) had more games with at least three points this season entering play Monday.
• Sam Reinhart ranks second on the Sabres with 12 multi-point games this season. The team is 9-2-1 this season (.792) and 40-7-8 (.800) in his career when he records at least two points.

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league rankings before 2/17 games)

• Eichel: 3 OTG (T-2nd), 8 GWG (T-2nd), 24 EVG (T-3rd), 33 G (T-5th), 50 EVP (6th), 74 PTS (T-6th), 23 PPP (T-8th)
• Olofsson: 10 PPG (T-9th)
• Ristolainen: 176 hits (10th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (176), Girgensons (92), McCabe (75)
Blocked Shots: McCabe (78), Ristolainen (67), Jokiharju (54)
Shots: Eichel (198), Skinner (149), Reinhart (123)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 8-1-1 (17), 38/24, 12/39, 23/30
11-20: 2-6-2 (6), 21/35, 2/26, 21/29
21-30: 3-4-3 (8), 34/34, 4/33, 23/32
31-40: 4-5-1 (9), 24/32, 4/23, 23/30
41-50: 5-5-0 (10), 30/32, 7/29, 21/29
51-60: 5-3-1 (11), 24/26, 4/19, 13/15

OVERTIME RESULTS (6-6; 126-134 all-time)
Oct. 7 at CBJ: L, 4-3 (Texier, 2:08)
Oct. 9 vs. MTL: W, 5-4 (Johansson, 1:30)
Oct. 22 vs. SJS: W, 4-3 (Eichel, 3:13)
Nov. 14 vs. CAR: L, 5-4 (Hamilton, 2:28)
Nov. 27 vs. CGY: L, 3-2 (Lindholm, 1:17)
Nov. 30 at TOR: L, 2-1 (Tavares, 1:45)
Dec. 7 at VAN: L, 6-5 (Miller, 3:21)
Dec. 8 at EDM: W, 3-2 (Miller, 1:13)
Dec. 14 at NYI: L, 3-2 (Beauvillier, 3:04)
Jan. 2 vs. EDM: W, 3-2 (Eichel, 1:09)
Feb. 1 vs. CBJ: W, 2-1 (Eichel, 0:36)
Feb. 13 vs. CBJ: W, 4-3 (Olofsson, 2:44)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (1-2; 76-71 all-time)
Oct. 11 vs. FLA: W, 3-2 (GDG-Eichel)
Oct. 28 vs. ARI: L, 3-2 (GDG-Schmaltz)
Feb. 6 vs. DET: L, 4-3 (GDG-Larkin)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Henri Jokiharju … 3 games … 100 career games played
Jimmy Vesey … 5 games … 300 career games played
Colin Miller … 7 games … 300 career games played
Evan Rodrigues … 9 games … 200 career games played
Kyle Okposo … 10 games … 800 career games played
Sam Reinhart … 10 games … 400 career games played
Goals
Kyle Okposo … 7 goals … 200 career goals
Assists
Jack Eichel … 1 assist … 200 career assists
Points
Johan Larsson … 6 points … 100 career points
Wins
Carter Hutton … 8 wins … 100 career wins

RECENT MILESTONES
Kyle Okposo … 500th NHL point … Feb. 16 vs. TOR

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Saturday, January 18
Buffalo 1 at Nashville 2
Goals: Reinhart
Goalie: Ullmark (35 saves/37 shots)
PP: 0/3; PK: 2/3; Shots: Nashville 37 – Buffalo 31

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 227)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Matt Hunwick (neck, Oct. 3; injured reserve) – 49 games
Vladimir Sobotka (knee, Nov. 9; injured reserve) – 33 games
Tage Thompson (shoulder, Nov. 19; injured reserve) – 29 games
Jeff Skinner (upper body, Dec. 29) – 10 games
Victor Olofsson (lower body, Jan. 4; injured reserve) – 7 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
1/26: Recalled D Lawrence Pilut from Rochester (AHL)
1/28: Activated F Jeff Skinner from IR

UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday, Jan. 30: Montreal at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 1: Columbus at Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 4: Colorado at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 6: Detroit at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 7: Buffalo at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
SENATORS at SABRES

• This is the third of four meetings between the Sabres and Senators this season.
• Last meeting: Ottawa defeated Buffalo 3-1 in Ottawa on Dec. 23, 2019.
• Next meeting: Tuesday, Feb. 18 in Ottawa
• The Sabres are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Senators; 6-3-1 at home.
• This is the 144th game all-time between Buffalo and Ottawa; Buffalo has a 70-53-20 series record.
• The Sabres are 39-23-8 at home against the Senators all-time.

THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 3-6-5 all-time on January 28.
• January 28, 1983: The Sabres get goals from six different players (Andre Savard, Ric Seiling, Mike Foligno, Larry Playfair, Phil Housley and Gilles Hamel) as they defeat the Blackhawks 6-2 at the Aud.
• January 28, 2000: Martin Biron turns aside 21 shots and James Patrick scores the game-winner as the Sabres earn a 1-0 victory vs. Ottawa.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• The Sabres have gone 11-4-3 in their last 18 games against the Senators and have a 12-4-4 record in the teams’ last 20 meetings in Buffalo.
  • With a win today, the Sabres would have wins in four straight home games against the Senators for the first time since they beat Ottawa in seven straight home games from Feb. 3, 2000 to March 19, 2002.
• The home team has won each of the six meetings between these teams since the beginning of last season.
• Jack Eichel has recorded 23 points (9+14) in 15 career games against the Senators, including at least a point in all but three of those games and 15 points (6+9) in eight home games. His 23 points and 1.53 points per game against the Senators represent his best outputs against any NHL opponent.
• Sam Reinhart has totaled 16 points (6+10) in his last 16 meetings with the Senators, including two-point games in the last three meetings at KeyBank Center.
• Colin Miller has recorded at least a point in each of his last three games against Ottawa, totaling five points (1+4) in those games.
• Michael Frolik has three assists in three meetings with the Senators since the beginning of last season.
• Rasmus Dahlin has recorded an assist in each of his three career home matchups with Ottawa.
• Linus Ullmark is 2-1-0 in three career appearances against the Senators, logging a .926 save percentage and a 2.02 goals-against average in those games.

WHO’S HOT?

• Jack Eichel has been held without a point in just three of his last 30 games played. During that stretch, which began with a four-goal performance vs. Ottawa on Nov. 16, Buffalo’s captain has totaled 43 points (20+23) in 30 appearances, also missing one game due to injury.
  • Entering play Monday, Eichel trailed only Artemi Panarin (47) and Nathan MacKinnon (46) for the most points in the league during that timeframe.
• Sam Reinhart has totaled 21 points (8+13) in the Sabres’ last 21 contests, including at least a point in seven of the last eight (5+5).
• Rasmus Dahlin has recorded seven points (1+6) in his last seven games.
• Curtis Lazar has four points (1+3) in Buffalo’s last four games.
• Linus Ullmark is 5-2-0 since the beginning of January with a .932 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average. He has allowed just one even-strength goal in each of Buffalo’s last four games, stopping 94 of 98 shots (.959) at even strength in those contests.

HOME COOKING

• Tonight’s game kicks off a 20-day stretch during which the Sabres will play nine of 10 games at home. The lone road game during that span will take place on Feb. 7 at NY Rangers.
• The Sabres are 14-6-3 through their first 23 home games of the season. The team’s .674 points percentage at home ranked seventh in the NHL before Monday’s games. If they finished the season at this pace, it would rank as the Sabres’ 15th-best home record in franchise history.
• The team is averaging 3.43 goals per game at home this season, which would mark Buffalo’s best home scoring rate since the 2006-07 season (3.93).
• With 38 points (20+18) in 23 home games this season, Jack Eichel’s 1.65 points per game at home tied for second-best in the league entering play Monday. His plus-20 rating at home led the league.
• Sam Reinhart (11+13) is also producing at over a point-per-game rate through 23 home games this season. Reinhart has totaled 13 points (5+8) in his last nine games at KeyBank Center, including five multi-point outings.
• Conor Sheary has posted seven points (4+3) in his last seven home games.
• Marcus Johansson enters tonight’s game with five points (1+4) in his last five home games.
• Linus Ullmark has won eight of his last 10 games at KeyBank Center, posting a .919 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average in those games.

SPECIAL OPS

• Since the beginning of January, the Sabres have gone 6-for-21 (28.6%) on the power play. Their conversion rate ranked as the seventh-best rate in the league during the new year entering play Monday.
• Through eight games in January, Buffalo has killed 17 of the team’s 20 shorthanded situations (85.0%), ranking as the seventh-best penalty kill percentage in the NHL in the new year before Monday’s games.
  • With two shorthanded goals during that span, they joined the Montreal Canadiens as one of just two teams with a league-best minus-1 goal differential while shorthanded in 2020.
  • Entering play Monday, Jake McCabe ranked fifth in the league among penalty killers during this stretch (min. 10 shorthanded minutes) in fewest shots against per two minutes of ice time (.840) and ranked eighth in fewest scoring chances allowed per two minutes (.672). (Data via NaturalStatTrick.com)

TEEN TITAN

• Rasmus Dahlin has totaled 72 points (12+60) through his first 123 NHL games, including 28 points (3+25) in 41 games this season.
• With his assist on Jan.18 at Dallas, Dahlin tied Bobby Orr for most points recorded by an NHL defenseman before his 20th birthday. He now trails only Phil Housley (132), Ray Bourque (79) and Rick Hampton (76) for most points ever recorded by a teenage defenseman.
• Aaron Ekblad’s 61 points (22+39) in 129 games as a teenager led active NHL defensemen for most points before turning 20 until Dahlin recorded his 62nd point with an assist in his 108th NHL game on Dec. 14 at NY Islanders.
• Andrei Svechnikov is the only active teenager in the NHL with more career points than Dahlin’s 72. He has 82 points (39+43) in 132 career games.
• Entering play Monday, Dahlin’s .59 points per game in his career ranked as the 18th-highest rate among active NHL defensemen with at least 10 career games played. His .68 points per game so far this season represent the best single-season scoring rate by a Sabres defenseman with more than one game played since Garry Galley (.69) in 1995-96.

SETTING THE PACE

• With his 28th goal in his 46th game of the season on Jan. 14 vs. Vegas, Jack Eichel tied his previous best total set in the 2018-19 season (77 GP).
• Eichel’s output through 49 team games currently has him on pace to finish the season with 47 goals and 105 points, which would be the highest goal and point totals by a Sabre since Pat LaFontaine (53+95) and Alexander Mogilny (76+51) in 1992-93.
• LaFontaine (83 in 1992-93) and Mogilny (78 in 1992-93) are the only Sabres ever to have recorded more even-strength points in a season than the 71 Eichel is currently on pace for.
• Despite missing eight games due to injury, Rasmus Dahlin is currently on pace to record 51 points this season, which would make him the Sabres’ first 50-point defenseman since Garry Galley (54) in 1995-96.
• Sam Reinhart is currently on pace to set career-high totals in goals (28) and points (69).

JACK ATTACK

• Entering play Monday, Jack Eichel’s 28 goals this season ranked him fifth among all NHL players and his 62 points tied for ninth in the league.
• Eichel represented the Sabres at NHL All-Star Weekend on Jan. 24 and 25 in St. Louis. With his third consecutive All-Star nod, Eichel became the seventh player in franchise history to represent the team in at least three NHL All-Star Games, joining Rick Martin (7), Gilbert Perreault (6), Dominik Hasek (5), Mike Ramsey (4), Phil Housley (3) and Alexander Mogilny (3). His four assists at this year’s event moved him past Martin for the most career All-Star Game points as a member of the Sabres (2+6).
• With his 60th point of the season on Jan. 14 vs. Vegas, Eichel became the first Sabre to reach 60 points in 46 or fewer games since 1992-93 (Pat LaFontaine and Alexander Mogilny).
• He joins Rick Martin as the only other player in franchise history to record at least 20 goals and 50 points in each of his first five NHL seasons.
• Eichel hasn’t been held without a point in three consecutive appearances since early November. In his 32 games played since then, he has totaled 45 points (21+24), including a stretch of 18 straight appearances (Nov. 16 to Dec. 21) that tied Gilbert Perreault (Oct. 24 to Dec. 4, 1971) for the most consecutive games played with a point in franchise history.

POINTS IN BUNCHES

• Jack Eichel has recorded 17 multi-point games this season, tying for the 10th-most in the NHL before Monday’s games. The Sabres are 12-3-2 (.765) in those games.
• Entering play Monday, Eichel’s six multi-goal games tied for third-most in the league and his nine multi-assist games tied for eighth-most.
• Eichel has recorded at least three points seven times this season, topping his previous career-high total (6) set in the 2016-17 season. Only Connor McDavid (11), Leon Draisaitl (9), Artemi Panarin (8) and David Pastrnak (8) had more games with at least three points this season entering play Monday.
• Sam Reinhart ranks second on the Sabres with 11 multi-point games this season. The team is 8-2-1 this season (.773) and 39-7-8 (.796) in his career when he records at least two points.

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league rankings before 1/27 games)

• Eichel: 21 EVG (T-3rd), 6 GWG (T-3rd), 28 G (5th), 42 EVP (T-7th), 62 PTS (9th)
• Hutton: 2 SO (T-8th)
• Olofsson: 9 PPG (T-8th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (145), Girgensons (77), McCabe (65)
Blocked Shots: McCabe (62), Ristolainen (56), Jokiharju (45)
Shots: Eichel (163), Skinner (128), Olofsson (99)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 8-1-1 (17), 38/24, 12/39, 23/30
11-20: 2-6-2 (6), 21/35, 2/26, 21/29
21-30: 3-4-3 (8), 34/34, 4/33, 23/32
31-40: 4-5-1 (9), 24/32, 4/23, 23/30
41-50: 5-4-0 (10), 28/27, 6/25, 20/25

OVERTIME RESULTS (4-6; 124-134 all-time)
Oct. 7 at CBJ: L, 4-3 (GWG-Texier, 2:08)
Oct. 9 vs. MTL: W, 5-4 (GWG-Johansson, 1:30)
Oct. 22 vs. SJS: W, 4-3 (GWG-Eichel, 3:13)
Nov. 14 vs. CAR: L, 5-4 (GWG-Hamilton, 2:28)
Nov. 27 vs. CGY: L, 3-2 (GWG-Lindholm, 1:17)
Nov. 30 at TOR: L, 2-1 (GWG-Tavares, 1:45)
Dec. 7 at VAN: L, 6-5 (GWG-Miller, 3:21)
Dec. 8 at EDM: W, 3-2 (GWG-Miller, 1:13)
Dec. 14 at NYI: L, 3-2 (GWG-Beauvillier, 3:04)
Jan. 2 vs. EDM: W, 3-2 (GWG-Eichel, 1:09)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (1-1; 76-70 all-time)
Oct. 11 vs. FLA: W, 3-2 (GDG-Eichel)
Oct. 28 vs. ARI: L, 3-2 (GDG-Schmaltz)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Linus Ullmark … 5 games … 100 career games played
Goals
Kyle Okposo … 8 goals … 200 career goals
Assists
Jack Eichel … 8 assists … 200 career assists
Points
Kyle Okposo … 1 point … 500 career points
Zach Bogosian … 6 points … 200 career points
Johan Larsson … 9 points … 100 career points 

RECENT MILESTONES
N/A

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Saturday, December 21
Los Angeles 2 at Buffalo 3
Goals: Ristolainen, Scandella, Olofsson
Goalie: Ullmark (25 saves/27 shots)
PP: 0/3; PK: 2/2; Shots: Buffalo 28 – Los Angeles 27

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 168)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Matt Hunwick (neck, Oct. 3; injured reserve) – 37 games
Vladimir Sobotka (knee, Nov. 9; injured reserve) – 21 games
Tage Thompson (upper body, Nov. 19; injured reserve) – 17 games
Johan Larsson (lower body, Dec. 21) – 1 game

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
12/20: Recalled F Curtis Lazar from Rochester (AHL)

UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, Dec. 27: Boston at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 29: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 31: Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 2: Edmonton at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Saturday. Jan. 4: Florida at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES at SENATORS

• This is the second of four meetings between the Sabres and Senators this season.
• Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Ottawa 4-2 in Buffalo on Nov. 16
• Next meeting: Tuesday, Jan. 28 in Buffalo
• The Sabres are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Senators; 5-3-2 on the road.
• This is the 143rd game all-time between Buffalo and Ottawa; Buffalo has a 70-52-20 series record.
• The Sabres are 31-29-12 on the road against the Senators all-time.

THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 17-11-4 all-time on December 23.
• December 23, 1989: Phil Housley records five points (1+4) in a 6-5 win over the Quebec Nordiques, earning his share of the Sabres’ record for most points in one game by a defenseman.
• December 23, 2013: The Sabres top the Coyotes 2-1 in overtime despite dressing only 16 skaters and losing Drew Stafford to a game misconduct in the second period.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• The Sabres have gone 11-3-3 in their last 17 games against the Senators.
• The home team has won each of the five meetings between these teams since the beginning of last season.
• Jack Eichel has recorded 23 points (9+14) in 14 career games against the Senators, including at least a point in all but two of those games and eight points (3+6) in six road games. His 23 points and 1.64 points per game against the Senators represent his best outputs against any NHL opponent.
• Sam Reinhart has totaled 16 points (6+10) in 17 career meetings with the Senators, including two-point games in three of the last four matchups.
• Colin Miller has recorded at least a point in each of his last three games against Ottawa, totaling five points (1+4) in those games.
• Jeff Skinner has totaled five points (3+2) in five meetings with the Senators since the beginning of last season.
• Victor Olofsson has recorded points in both of his previous games against Ottawa, totaling three points (1+2), eight shots and a plus-4 rating in those contests.
• Linus Ullmark has earned a win in both of his career matchups with the Senators, logging a .923 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average in those games.

WHO’S HOT?

• Jack Eichel has been selected as the NHL’s Third Star of the Week for each of the last two weeks. Entering play Sunday, his 16 points since the beginning of December tied to lead all NHL players and his eight goals during that span tied for second-most in the league.
• Victor Olofsson has recorded points in each of Buffalo’s last six games (4+4). He has joined John Tucker (1984-85) as just the second Sabres rookie to record two different six-game point streaks in a season
• Olofsson has now recorded 24 points (10+14) in his last 22 games, including two-point performances in five of the team’s last 10 games. He has failed to record a point in just three of those 22 games and entered play Saturday leading all NHL rookies in goals (16) and points (34) this season.
• Rasmus Dahlin has recorded five points (1+4) in five games since returning from an eight-game injury absence.
• Sam Reinhart has totaled 10 points (3+7) in Buffalo’s last nine games, including four multi-point games during that stretch.
• Rasmus Ristolainen has nine points (2+7) in the Sabres’ last 12 games dating back to Nov. 29 vs. Toronto. His plus-11 mark in those games was the fourth-best plus/minus rating in the NHL during that span before Sunday’s games.
• Linus Ullmark has posted a 7-2-2 record in his last 11 appearances.

JACK ATTACK

• With two points (1+1) on Tuesday night at Toronto, Jack Eichel became the first Buffalo player to reach 50 points in 35 or fewer games since 1992-93 (Pat LaFontaine and Alexander Mogilny). He joins Rick Martin as the only other player in franchise history to record at least 20 goals and 50 points in each of his first five NHL seasons.
• Since scoring four goals on Nov. 16 vs. Ottawa, Eichel has recorded a point in a career-best 18 straight games played. He has tied Gilbert Perreault (Oct. 24 to Dec. 4, 1971) for the most consecutive games played with a point in franchise history. It’s the NHL’s fifth-longest personal point streak in the last decade, trailing only Taylor Hall (26 in 2017-18), Patrick Kane (26 in 2015-16), Sidney Crosby (25 in 2010-11) and Patrick Kane (20 in 2018-19).
• Entering play Sunday, Eichel’s 16 goals, 32 points and plus-19 rating since the run started all led the NHL during that timeframe. His 16 assists were three shy of the league lead during that stretch.

5-ON-5 GOALS

• According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Sabres entered play Sunday with three players among the league’s leaders in 5-on-5 goals: Jack Eichel (13, T-5th), Jeff Skinner (11, T-13th), Sam Reinhart (10, T-21st).
• Only 32 NHL players had at least 10 goals during 5-on-5 play entering play Sunday. Buffalo joined the Edmonton Oilers (Draisaitl, Kassian, McDavid) as one of two teams with three players among those 32.

SETTING THE PACE

• With 24 goals in 36 games so far this season, Jack Eichel is on pace to shatter his previous best goal total (28), set in the 2018-19 season.
• Eichel’s output through 37 team games currently has him on pace to finish the season with 54 goals and 115 points, which would be the highest goal and point totals by a Sabre since Pat LaFontaine (53+95) and Alexander Mogilny (76+51) in 1992-93.
• LaFontaine (83 in 1992-93) is the only Sabre ever to have recorded more even-strength points in a season than the 79 Eichel is currently on pace for.
• Victor Olofsson’s goal and point totals currently have him on pace for the best offensive season by a Sabres rookie in decades. If he maintains his current pace, he would finish the season with the most goals by a Sabres rookie (35) since Ray Sheppard’s 38 in 1987-88 and the most points ever recorded by a Sabres rookie (75), topping Rick Martin’s franchise-record 74 in 1971-72.
• Sam Reinhart’s 12 goals in 37 games put him on pace for a career-high goal total (27).

POINTS IN BUNCHES

• Jack Eichel has recorded 15 multi-point games this season, tying for third-most in the NHL before Sunday’s games.
• Entering play Sunday, his six multi-goal games tied to lead the league and his eight multi-assist games tied for second-most, trailing only Connor McDavid (10).
• Eichel has already recorded at least three points seven times this season, topping his previous career-high total (6) set in the 2016-17 season. Only Connor McDavid (9) and Leon Draisaitl (8) had more games with at least three points this season entering play Sunday.
• Eichel’s three games with at least four points this season tied for the league lead entering play Sunday. Since he entered the league in 2015-16, only seven players have totaled at least four points more times than Eichel’s eight: Nikita Kucherov (15), Patrick Kane (11), Connor McDavid (10), Johnny Gaudreau (9), Brad Marchand (9), Alex Ovechkin (9) and Steven Stamkos (9).

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league rankings before 12/22 games)

• Eichel: 18 EVG (1st), 35 EVP (T-1st), 24 G (2nd), 51 PTS (T-4th), 16 PPP (T-8th), 4 GWG (T-8th), 27 A (9th), plus-16 (T-10th)
• Hutton: 2 SO (T-4th)
• Olofsson: 9 PPG (T-3rd)
• Ristolainen: 112 hits (9th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (112), Girgensons (56), McCabe (56)
Blocked Shots: McCabe (57), Ristolainen (44), Jokiharju (33)
Shots: Eichel (130), Skinner (122), Olofsson (92)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK]
1-10: 8-1-1 (17), 38/24, 12/39, 23/30
11-20: 2-6-2 (6), 21/35, 2/26, 21/29
21-30: 3-4-3 (8), 34/34, 4/33, 23/32
31-40: 4-2-1 (9), 21/23, 4/16, 14/18

OVERTIME RESULTS (3-6; 123-134 all-time)
Oct. 7 at CBJ: L, 4-3 (GWG-Texier, 2:08)
Oct. 9 vs. MTL: W, 5-4 (GWG-Johansson, 1:30)
Oct. 22 vs. SJS: W, 4-3 (GWG-Eichel, 3:13)
Nov. 14 vs. CAR: L, 5-4 (GWG-Hamilton, 2:28)
Nov. 27 vs. CGY: L, 3-2 (GWG-Lindholm, 1:17)
Nov. 30 at TOR: L, 2-1 (GWG-Tavares, 1:45)
Dec. 7 at VAN: L, 6-5 (GWG-Miller, 3:21)
Dec. 8 at EDM: W, 3-2 (GWG-Miller, 1:13)
Dec. 14 at NYI: L, 3-2 (GWG-Beauvillier, 3:04)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (1-1; 76-70 all-time)
Oct. 11 vs. FLA: W, 3-2 (GDG-Eichel)
Oct. 28 vs. ARI: L, 3-2 (GDG-Schmaltz)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Jeff Skinner … 2 games … 700 career games played
Conor Sheary … 8 games … 300 career games played
Goals
Sam Reinhart … 1 goal … 100 career goals
Kyle Okposo … 9 goals … 200 career goals
Assists
Marco Scandella … 9 assists … 100 career assists
Points
Kyle Okposo … 5 points … 500 career points
Zach Bogosian … 8 points … 200 career points

RECENT MILESTONES
N/A