Senators at Sabres
The Ottawa Senators seek their first win of the month when they visit the Atlantic Division-rival Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Ottawa won two of its final three games in January but have yet to record a victory in February, dropping all three contests while scoring just one goal in each. The Senators suffered a 4-1 setback to Columbus on Saturday, with Erik Condra netting the lone tally.
Buffalo fell to 1-2-0 on its five-game homestand with Sunday's 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders. The Sabres registered a total of 10 shots - including three in the second period on which they scored twice - and were unable to overcome a 3-0 deficit as they failed to post consecutive victories for the first time since capturing four in a row from Dec. 9-15. The struggling clubs split their first two meetings this season, with each emerging victorious at home.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN5, RDS2, BELL TV (Ottawa), MSG (Buffalo)
ABOUT THE SENATORS (20-22-9): Trailing rookie Mike Hoffman for the team lead in goals by three, Bobby Ryan is hoping another meeting with Buffalo will help him close the gap. The All-Star has scored four of his 14 tallies this season against the Sabres, including three in a 5-2 triumph on Dec. 29 that resulted in his fourth career hat trick. The firing of coach Paul MacLean has done nothing to change Ottawa's fortunes as it is 9-11-4 under replacement Dave Cameron.
ABOUT THE SABRES (16-35-3): Marcus Foligno made a triumphant return to the lineup Sunday, recording a goal and an assist for his third multi-point performance of the season. The 23-year-old left wing, who missed 19 games with a broken hand, has tallied in four of his last seven contests after netting four goals in his first 22 outings. "It was a month and a bit away from the game. You get hungry and ticked off a little bit when you're away from the guys," Foligno said of his injury absence. "You miss it a lot and you give a lot of fire in that first shift. You want to be an impact player, and when you come back right away from an injury, it's all about staying in the lineup, too."
OVERTIME
1. Sunday's 10-shot output by Buffalo matched the franchise record for fewest in a game, which was set earlier this season against Toronto on Oct. 28.
2. Ottawa has lost three straight in regulation for the first time this season.
3. The Senators, who are 14 points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, are in danger of missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since a five-year drought from 1992-96.