I’m not crying, it’s the cold Northwesterlies of the mighty, lake effect blowing away the last remnants of winter. Well, welcome back to another edition of NHL Predictions as we feature the Ottawa Senators as they travel to Western New York to take on the Buffalo Sabres. This game is loaded with storylines, so let’s take a look, and see if we can cut through the rhetoric and discuss who will emerge victorious.
NHL Predictions: Ottawa Senators at the Sabres, from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York
Season Series: Buffalo leads 2 – 0
TV: RDS2, TSN5, MSGA1
7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
When it comes to storylines, where do we start? Before we get into the obvious, a big shutout to #72. This game projects to be Thomas Chabot’s 500th of his impressive NHL career, so congrats to him on that achievement. Furthermore, the game sees Dylan Cozens return to city that drafted him seventh overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. In contrast, for the man who went the other way in the deal, Joshua Norris, there is question on his availability. He has missed the past couple Sabre games, and is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. As of print Tuesday morning, there was no final confirmation on his playing status. Moreover, emotions were high when the Sens made the tough decision to move on from Neuf and with this being the Senators dads trip, expect some reminiscing of days past, gone by.
Focusing in on the Ottawa Senators Right Now
The Sens got proper, and started their road trip off with a victory in the Garden State, Saturday night versus the New Jersey Devils. The win snapped a mini, two-game losing skid, that had followed a six-game winning streak. We all know how streaky the Sens have been, in particular in the 2025 calendar year, so to have stemmed the tide quickly is a breath of fresh air for fans.
Back to Dylan Cozens, he has been all the Senators could have asked for since joining them. He even struggled somewhat to wrap up his time in Buffalo, with only a single assist in his last five games wearing Sabre colours. Now, since joining Ottawa, the team is 6-2-0, and Cozens has contributed with three goals and four assists. Moreover, he has just been a great presence, shoring up the second-line centre role, and racking up 31 hits. Look for him to have some added motivation playing against his old buddies.
A couple other notes to pass along, starting with Nick Jensen. He is along for the trip, but again, his status is unknown at time of publication. Finally, Fabian Zetterlund had a big opportunity being bumped up to the top line on Saturday. Zetterlund remains pointless in seven contests for Ottawa. However, following last game’s performance on the line with Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk, that did see them generate a goal together, and combined with his increasing ice time, you’d have to think he is trending upwards. Look for him to have another big game, as it is expected he plays on that top line again.
The Game From the Sabres Perspective
It has been a long year for the Buffalo Sabres, who currently sit eighth in the Atlantic Division with 62 points. Also, having seen how the early returns on the Norris and Cozens trade has favoured Ottawa, it only rubs salt in the wounds on the franchise who has been without playoff action the longest of any NHL team. Conversely, one bright spot, was an off-season acquisition, Ryan McLeod.
McLeod came over for Matthew Savoie from the Edmonton Oilers in the summer. Moreover, he has had a very nice season in Buffalo. He has 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points, along with 16:39 of ice time. For the five-year NHLer, all of those numbers are career highs. Furthermore, he’s been hot recently, with seven points in the last five Sabre games. He’s definitely a guy that the Sens can’t let beat them. With Ottawa battling for every point in their current playoff race, they need to be weary of Buffalo who have beat them twice this year, by a combined score of 9-1.
The Sabre fanbase can look for something positive from the Norris-Cozens swap, and that was the addition of another piece. Jacob Bernard-Docker also came over from Ottawa, and he still has potential to become an NHL contributor. He is coming off a big two-assist performance in the Sabres 5-3 victory versus the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Look for him to step up against his former team as well to help add intrigue to our NHL Predictions.
The Tail of the Two Teams’ Tendy Tape
The expected starters for tonight’s game are Linus Ullmark and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. However, like all the lineup details, please check for the very latest roster updates before locking in your fantasy lineups. So, just who gets the leg up in this battle between the pipes?
Ullmark is the veteran of the two, which should bode well for him. Also, Ullmark’s numbers are better, with a 19-13-3 record, a 2.78 GAA, a .909 SV%, and three shutouts. Conversely, with Luukkonen on a weaker team, his numbers are strong. He is 23-22-4, with a 3.16 GAA, a .888 SV%, and two shutouts. Also, he was the goalie of record both previous times the club’s met, with one of them being a shutout. Anton Forsberg and Ullmark played a game each versus the Sabres. In any case, Ullmark definitely wants to rebound in this one. Maybe having the presence of Dylan Cozens in Luukkonen’s kitchen is enough to tip the scales.
NHL Predictions Sens and Sabres
The Sabres do always get up for these tough, divisional matchups. However, the Sens have a lot on the line. Look for Ottawa to play a smart, focused game in this one and come out on tops for the pops.
Final Score: 4 – 1 Sens
Next, for some parlay plays on this contest. Let’s keep it to a couple of the guys we discussed. If we take anytime scorers with Cozens, Zetterlund, and McLeod, and the Sens covering the spread, that pays +13K. Can you say, go big or go home?!
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Main Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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