Game Preview | 5 things to know before Sabres vs. Senators 

The Sabres fell to 2-4 on the season with a loss to Montreal on Monday and look to bounce back as they visit the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday. 

Former Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson, who will be serving as a hockey liaison for Buffalo this season, will be honored with a retirement ceremony ahead of the game against his former team of 10 years.

Coverage on MSG/MSG+ kicks off at 6 p.m. while the puck drops at 6:45 on MSG and WGR 550.

Here are five things to know.

1. In the crease

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will “more than likely” make his season debut in Ottawa, Sabres coach Don Granato shared following Monday’s game against Montreal.

Devon Levi started in Buffalo’s first four games of the season but has been nursing a lower-body injury. Granato said the coaching staff is giving him rest so that the issue can fully resolve.

Eric Comrie started the last two contests, including the first game of the back-to-back set on Monday.

Last season, Luukkonen posted 17 wins in 32 starts, including a 6-2-1 record in January when the goaltender was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month.

2. Last time out

Jeff Skinner scored the Sabres’ lone goal in a 3-1 loss to the Canadiens. Despite outshooting Montreal 37-27, Buffalo was unable to get anything else by goaltender Jake Allen, who put together a 36-save performance in net.

Brendan Gallagher tallied the game-winning goal 3:31 into the third period after crashing the net and poking the puck from under Comrie to give the Canadiens some momentum before Tanner Pearson secured the victory with a power-play goal with 3:07 remaining.

Tage Thompson felt the team did all the right things but needed to find a way to put the puck in the back of the net.

“Obviously, that’s why that one hurts so much. But we can’t change anything. We got to play like that,” Thompson said. “That’s two games we’ve strung together in a row now that I think we took away the will of the other team, had them kind of defeated mentally. And, obviously, they get one in the third there it gives them some life. But we keep playing like that, that’s a winning recipe. We’re going to win a lot of games playing like that.”

3. On a streak

Dylan Cozens and Rasmus Dahlin were credited with the assists on Skinner’s goal Monday, extending their individual point streaks.

Cozens has recorded at least a point in four consecutive contests with two goals and three assists in that span. The last time the forward posted a streak of four or more games was from Feb. 11 to 18, 2023 (3+2).

Dahlin currently leads the team with six points (0+6), which he has tallied in five consecutive games.

According to Sabres PR, Dahlin moved into a tie with John Van Boxmeer for the second-most point streaks of five or more games among Sabres defensemen all-time. Both Dahlin and Van Boxmeer have registered seven such streaks in their respective careers and trail just Phil Housley (20) on Buffalo’s all-time list.

4. Killing it

The Sabres were 2-for-3 on the penalty kill versus Montreal, allowing their first power-play goal after killing off 20 consecutive penalties dating back to their season opener against the New York Rangers.

Buffalo has successfully killed 20-of-22 penalties so far this season, ranking in the top 10 in the league through the team’s first six games.

Defenseman Erik Johnson once again led the team in shorthanded minutes against the Canadiens (4:28). He has now logged a total of 22:42 minutes in shorthanded situations in 2023-24, averaging 3:47 per game played to lead the young group.

5. Scouting the Senators

Brady Tkachuk (4+2), Jake Sanderson (3+3), Tim Stutzle (2+4), and Vladimir Tarasenko lead the Senators with six points each in five games.

Ottawa lost to the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 5-2 on Saturday, dropping their record to 3-2.

Goaltender Anton Forsberg has posted a 2-0 record in his two starts with a .933 save percentage and 1.50 goals-against average. Joonas Korpisalo is 1-2 in his three starts.