Red-hot Senators roll into Buffalo

[Madferret]

Red-hot Senators roll into Buffalo
Sports Ticker

Two of the Eastern Conference's best teams begin a home-and-home series in Buffalo tonight, when the Sabres welcome the streaking Ottawa Senators to HSBC Arena.

Buffalo has won seven of its last nine contests and leads the NHL with 85 points. Meanwhile, the Senators have won five straight games and are currently tied with Pittsburgh for fourth place in the East with 73 points.

Ottawa has held the upper hand in the season series with Buffalo, winning four of the six matchups so far. The Sens have taken 10 of the last 16 overall meetings and four of their last seven tests in Buffalo.

The Sabres will make the return trip to Ottawa on Saturday night.

Buffalo is coming off Tuesday's home victory over the lowly Philadelphia Flyers. Daniel Briere posted a goal and two assists as the Sabres crushed Philly, 6-3.

Chris Drury, Jason Pominville and Derek Roy each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres, who improved to 4-0-1 on their current six-game homestand. Buffalo is 21-7-3 as the host club this season.

Adam Mair tallied his first goal in 43 games for Buffalo, while Andrew Peters scored for the first time since March 26, 2004.

The Senators were last in action on Saturday and posted a close win over the visiting Edmonton Oilers. Dean McAmmond was credited with the game-winning goal in the shootout and Ottawa escaped a late rally to defeat the Oilers, 4-3, at Scotiabank Place.

Dany Heatley, Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson had goals for Ottawa, which relinquished a 3-1 lead with under five minutes remaining in regulation. Martin Gerber made 27 saves for the Senators.

This win was the 600th of Ottawa head coach Bryan Murray's career. Murray is now only the fifth coach in NHL history to reach that plateau, along with Scotty Bowman, Al Arbour, Dick Irvin and Pat Quinn.

Fisher and Peter Schaefer each come into tonight's game with six-game point streaks intact. Fisher has four goals and three assists during his tear, while Schaefer has three goals and three helpers in his run.

[swflyers25]

Please kick their arses for me, I'll be rooting for the Sens or anyone else who plays Buffablow from here on out.

[Darsehole Tucker]

Here I was counting down until Ray's first NHL fight, and in one night we're blessed with TWO!

[Man.Utd]

Exciting game. Too bad it went to the SO, since we always lose. Gerber somehow is money at those but our forwards can never give him any type of goal support against any type of quality netminder.

Hopefully we can further add to Buffalo's lengthy list of injuries Saturday after they gooned it up. Drury looked pretty woozy after a hard and CLEAN hit by Neil. Hopefully he has no lasting effects since head injuries are always scary.

[Madferret]

Heads up Drury.
Crazy game, Rays the man...

[Amoroq]

I agree that it was a clean hit, but at some point in time the NHL has to address these inadvertent head shots. I'm with Don Cherry with this one, its not always the hit now, its more that the equipment is now made of kevlar.

Someone will die if this isn't addressed, and that will be a shame!

[swflyers25]

Didn't Drury's head hit the ice and that's why he was cut? The hit looked clean to me.

[KB in Kelowna]

Seems to me that people are reacting to the out come of the hit and not the hit itself, but where have I seen and heard that before?:rolleyes:

[Madferret]

Here's a clip (http://youtube.com/watch?v=cVoAOg7_6vo&mode=related&search=) of the festivities....

[The Insider]

Wow, must've been a fun night, reminds me of the time the Ottawa and Philly slugged it out a few years ago. Anyways I'm surprised that the Sens let Peters fight Emery, I mean I know Emery's a tough dude, but I mean this is your goalie who pretty much is your life and death come playoff time, and if you're going to sit back and watch him get punched around by Peters, you are potentially seeing a recipe for disaster. I mean with the game in Ottawa on Saturday night, first time Buffalo puts Peters out, I'd throw McGratton out and say swing away kid. At least this time though the Sabres actually fought back on the ice rather then whining a bitching that they did in the media last year after a game against the Leafs, I mean I don't know if it's the coach or the captain(Briere) but this team just has the whole crybaby attitude which they've had now since they started winning again.

[Man.Utd]

Peters on Emery was unfortunate, but the Sens were pretty much pooched in the matter since Ruff decided to go bush-league and target our stars with his goons, using the last change to do so. Peters' line was sent out against Heatley - Spezza - Comrie. None of them fared very well. When Peters broke free from beating on Jason Spezza (big man, eh?) he then went for straight for Rayzor. Class act that Peters, fighting a goalie who has to deal with all the equipment who is fresh off of a scrap and tired, while Peters' one-sided beatdown of our scrapping star Spezza clearly left him very spry.

There was nothing anybody on the ice could have really done. Emery was actually far and away our best fighter on the ice with the way Ruff used his last change to get the match-up he wanted. In the old days somebody could have jumped the bench. But with an automatic 10 game suspension and a very hefty fine now those incedents are all but gone from the NHL.

McGrattan is dressed for Saturday. Either him or Neil should go after Peters. The other should beat on Briere when he's not expecting it, just like what happened to Jason.

[Mel]

Here's a clip (http://youtube.com/watch?v=cVoAOg7_6vo&mode=related&search=) of the festivities....

Wow that was awesome :)

I heard them mention Emery had a bad wrist and if that's the case he was foolish to get involved. Even in the heat of the moment he needs to think about what a prolonged injury could do to his team at a crucial time of year.

I imagine Peters will have some business to attend with McGratton and Company tonight.
;)