Sabres at Senators
The Ottawa Senators were involved in the first big move of the final two weeks before the trade deadline and could have new faces in the lineup when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. The Senators, who are well back in the playoff chase this season, sent veteran defenseman Dion Phaneuf and center Nate Thompson to the Los Angeles Kings in a deal for forwards Nick Shore and Marian Gaborik on Tuesday night.
The 36-year-old Gaborik, who scored seven of his 403 career goals in 30 games this season, has three years left on a contract that carries a $4.875 million cap hit and Shore recorded 15 points in 49 contests with the Kings in 2017-18. Ottawa dropped its last two games after a 4-1 run and has not beaten the Sabres in regulation in the last nine meetings, earning the only two wins during that stretch in a shootout while losing 3-2 at Buffalo on Dec. 12. The Sabres have played better of late with a 3-1-1 mark in the past five games, capped by a 5-3 victory at home against the NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday with two man-advantage goals and a key kill on a long 5-on-3 power play. “To be a good team you’ve got to take pride in that stuff,” Buffalo forward Scott Wilson told reporters. “We’ve got to keep doing those little things to get the extra goals, get those extra points.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG Buffalo, RDS2, TSN5 (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE SABRES (17-30-10): Center Ryan O’Reilly has stepped up with leading scorer Jack Eichel (ankle) out for at least a month, posting three points in each of the last two games to push his season total to 43. Former second-overall draft pick Sam Reinhart has also raised his level of production with eight points in the last five games, including two goals in Tuesday’s victory. “Once a couple start going in for you, it’s just the little things,” Reinhart told the Buffalo News. “You’re hanging onto the puck a little more. Your feet are getting under you.”
ABOUT THE SENATORS (19-27-9): Ottawa is retaining $1.75 million of Phaneuf’s salary over the next three seasons, but did save some money in the deal and acquired a younger center in Nick Shore (25 years old) to replace Thompson (33). The Senators hope center Matt Duchene, who was acquired in a big trade from Colorado earlier in the season, continues to progress as he has registered two goals and three assists in his past four games. The loss of Phaneuf should provide more playing time for 21-year-old Thomas Chabot (13 points, 36 games).
OVERTIME
1. Buffalo D Rasmus Ristolainen has recorded a point in four straight games to push his season total to 26 - sixth on the team.
2. Ottawa RW Mark Stone leads the team in scoring with 47 points and boasts five assists in his last three contests.
3. The Sabres are 5-for-13 on the power play over the past five games, moving up to 23rd in the league entering Wednesday at 17.8 percent.