Sabres at Senators
The Ottawa Senators are one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference - and they get the perfect opportunity to continue their success Friday as they entertain the last-place Buffalo Sabres in an Atlantic Division showdown. The Senators are coming off a 3-1 victory in Winnipeg that capped an impressive 4-0-1 road trip through the Western Conference and improved them to 8-1-2 in their last 11 games. That run began with a 2-1 win in Buffalo on Feb. 10.
While the Senators have dug themselves out of the doldrums and invigorated their playoff chances, the Sabres remain the team opponents most look forward to seeing on their schedule. The Sabres dropped to 0-2 on their five-game road trip with a 3-0 loss to the Lightning on Tuesday, their league-high 40th regulation loss of the season. Buffalo is a whopping 12 points behind Carolina in the "race" for last place in the conference.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG (Buffalo), TSN5, RDS (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE SABRES (19-40-5): With Buffalo's roster now full of up-and-comers, competition is fierce - but ice time is plentiful. "I told probably five or six guys who are (competing for top-six forward spots), in normal situations you probably wouldn't get a long look like this," coach Ted Nolan told the Buffalo News. "You might get a look. A short one. But on a consistent basis like this, those opportunities don't come around too often. If there's an opportunity for you to prove yourself, this is one of them."
ABOUT THE SENATORS (28-23-11): In the same way that Devan Dubnyk has backstopped the Minnesota Wild to an unexpected playoff push, unheralded netminder Andrew Hammond is guiding Ottawa into meaningful late-season games. The undrafted 27-year-old is a sizzling 6-0-1 in eight games with the Senators, posting a 1.35 goals-against average, a .957 save percentage and two shutouts. Hammond isn't bothered by speculation he'll soon return to a backup role, saying: "I prepare the same way whether I start or back up, it's something I learned early on."
OVERTIME
1. Ottawa is 2-0-1 in three meetings with Buffalo this season.
2. The Sabres are have lost five straight trips to the Canadian capital.
3. Senators D Erik Karlsson has three goals and 11 assists in his last 11 games.