Both the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators have had a rough time finding wins this season. Neither team has had much success at all but that also means that this should be an even matchup. The Sabres started the year at 5-1-1, but have since dropped down to 11-20-7. They have also lost eight of their last nine games, failing in back-to-back outings against the Detroit Red Wings heading into this one.

Sabres vs. Senators NHL Betting Odds

Buffalo is 1-6 straight up in their last seven games when going up against a team with a losing overall record on the year. They are also 18-38 in their last 56 matchups against teams in the Atlantic Division. The under has been consistent for them lately, though, with a 5-1-1 record in the Sabres last seven games played on the road.

On the other hand, the Senators are 4-0 straight up in their last four matchups against the Sabres at home. Ottawa is 9-19 in their last 28 games overall though and 2-5 in their past seven against teams in the Atlantic Division. Opposite of the Sabres, the over has been strong for the Senators. It is 3-0-1 in their past four contests when going up against a team with a winning percentage under .400 on the year.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres can’t seem to score whatsoever. There is absolutely zero consistency when they are going forward to the opposing net this season, which is why they are ranked 26th in the league with 2.53 goals scored per contest. Tage Thompson leads this team with 24 points but four other players on the roster have eclipsed that 20-point mark as well.

To make matters worse, their defense is atrocious. Buffalo has played five different goalies this season with all of them starting at least four games. Dustin Tokarski has been their best one with a record of 4-5-3 and a save percentage of .903. That doesn’t look great but wait until you see Aaron Dell’s numbers. He’s 1-6-1 on the year with a .892 save percentage.

The only good news here is that the Sabres catch a similarly-feeble opponent.

Ottawa Senators

Luckily for Buffalo, the Senators are equally as bad on both ends. They are 20th in terms of goals scored at 2.84 and are 29th in goals allowed at 3.61. If you’re wondering why they’re struggling, the negative differential right there tells the whole story.

It seems like any efforts they make to improve offensively are gone to waste due to their inability to protect the puck from hitting the back of their own net. Anton Forsberg has had an underwhelming season, to say the least. He is 6-5-1 with a .908 save percentage and has started the majority of their games. Filip Gustavsson is 3-7-1 with a .893 save percentage as the backup. Matt Murray has got a long look too but he is 2-6-0 as the third-stringer with a .892 save percentage. None of these three have been efficient in their time starting, but need to be if they want to start winning.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Sabres vs. Senators?

• Regular Season

Sabres Team Leaders

BUF

Points	Tage Thompson 68
+ / -	Owen Power 3
Shots	Jeff Skinner 262
Penalty Mins	John Hayden 84
Wins	Craig Anderson 17
GAA	Michael Houser 2

OTT

Points	Brady Tkachuk 67
+ / -	Mathieu Joseph 8
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 288
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 117
Wins	Anton Forsberg 22
GAA	Anton Forsberg 2.82

• Regular Season

Senators Team Leaders

BUF

Points	Tage Thompson 68
+ / -	Owen Power 3
Shots	Jeff Skinner 262
Penalty Mins	John Hayden 84
Wins	Craig Anderson 17
GAA	Michael Houser 2

OTT

Points	Brady Tkachuk 67
+ / -	Mathieu Joseph 8
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 288
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 117
Wins	Anton Forsberg 22
GAA	Anton Forsberg 2.82

Injuries

Buffalo

Kyle Okposo (RW)

Out Fri Ankle - 25 / 04 / 22

Vinnie Hinostroza (LW)

Prob Thurs Personal - 25 / 04 / 22

Craig Anderson (G)

Ques Fri Undisclosed - 23 / 04 / 22

Cody Eakin (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 16 / 04 / 22

Cody Eakin (C)

Ques Thurs Undisclosed - 14 / 04 / 22

Mattias Samuelsson (D)

Ques Sat Lower Body - 14 / 04 / 22

Mattias Samuelsson (D)

Prob Fri Undisclosed - 30 / 03 / 22

Colin Miller (D)

Ques Sun Conditioning - 27 / 03 / 22

John Hayden (LW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 20 / 03 / 22

Casey Fitzgerald (D)

Ques Sun Upper Body - 10 / 03 / 22

Ottawa

Connor Brown (RW)

out for season Undisclosed - 23 / 04 / 22

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Prob Tues Illness - 23 / 04 / 22

Tim Stutzle (LW)

Ques Fri Undisclosed - 22 / 04 / 22

Colin White (C)

out for season Illness - 16 / 04 / 22

Mathieu Joseph (RW)

out for season Undisclosed - 14 / 04 / 22

Artem Zub (D)

Ques Thurs Illness - 12 / 04 / 22

Tim Stutzle (LW)

Prob Sun Knee - 07 / 04 / 22

Dylan Gambrell (C)

Prob Sat Illness - 07 / 04 / 22

Tyler Ennis (RW)

out for season Upper Body - 03 / 04 / 22

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Ques Sat Face - 25 / 03 / 22

Injuries

Buffalo

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Kyle Okposo (RW)	Out Fri	Ankle - 25 / 04 / 22	1-1	1-1	+ -
Okposo sat out the previous game with a left ankle injury, and he will not suit up for Friday's tilt with the Blackhawks.
Vinnie Hinostroza (LW)	Prob Thurs	Personal - 25 / 04 / 22	1-1	1-1	+ -
Hinostroza is tending to a personal matter, but it is anticipated that he will take part in Thursday's matchup versus the Bruins.
Craig Anderson (G)	Ques Fri	Undisclosed - 23 / 04 / 22	2-1	2-1	+ -
Anderson has sat out the last two games with an undisclosed injury, and it is unclear if he will be available for Friday's contest against the Blackhawks.
Cody Eakin (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 16 / 04 / 22	3-3	5-1	+ -
Eakin is out of the lineup with an illness, and it is unknown how long he will be debilitated.
Cody Eakin (C)	Ques Thurs	Undisclosed - 14 / 04 / 22	4-3	5-1-1	+ -
Eakin has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury, and it is up in the air if he will partake in Thursday's tilt versus the Blues.
Mattias Samuelsson (D)	Ques Sat	Lower Body - 14 / 04 / 22	4-3	5-1-1	+ -
Samuelsson sat out the last contest with a lower-body injury, and it remains to be seen if he will face the Flyers on Saturday.
Mattias Samuelsson (D)	Prob Fri	Undisclosed - 30 / 03 / 22	9-6	9-4-2	+ -
Samuelsson sat out the last game with an undisclosed issue, but it is likely that he will suit up against the Predators on Friday.
Colin Miller (D)	Ques Sun	Conditioning - 27 / 03 / 22	11-6	11-4-2	+ -
Miller has cleared the COVID-19 protocol, and it remains to be seen if he will take on the Panthers on Sunday.
John Hayden (LW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 20 / 03 / 22	14-6	12-6-2	+ -
Hayden is going through the COVID-19 protocol, and he will miss an extended period.
Casey Fitzgerald (D)	Ques Sun	Upper Body - 10 / 03 / 22	16-8	14-7-3	+ -
Fitzgerald has been activated from the injured reserve list after recovering from an upper-body issue, and it is unclear if he will return to the ice against the Rangers on Sunday.

Ottawa

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Connor Brown (RW)	out for season	Undisclosed - 23 / 04 / 22	2-2	2-2	+ -
Brown is expected miss the rest of the season due to an undisclosed injury.
Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Prob Tues	Illness - 23 / 04 / 22	2-2	2-2	+ -
Zaitsev missed the last game due to a non-COVID-19 illness, but it is likely that he will suit up against the Devils on Tuesday.
Tim Stutzle (LW)	Ques Fri	Undisclosed - 22 / 04 / 22	3-2	3-2	+ -
Stutzle is tending to an undisclosed injury, and it is unknown if he will battle the Blue Jackets on Friday.
Colin White (C)	out for season	Illness - 16 / 04 / 22	5-3	4-3-1	+ -
White has been shuttled to the COVID-19 protocol, and it is likely that he will sit out the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
Mathieu Joseph (RW)	out for season	Undisclosed - 14 / 04 / 22	6-3	4-4-1	+ -
Joseph is idle due to an unknown injury, and he will sit out the remainder of the season.
Artem Zub (D)	Ques Thurs	Illness - 12 / 04 / 22	7-3	5-4-1	+ -
Zub sat out the previous game with an illness, and it is uncertain if he will partake in Thursday's clash with the Bruins.
Tim Stutzle (LW)	Prob Sun	Knee - 07 / 04 / 22	9-4	6-5-2	+ -
Stutzle has sat out the last two contests with knee soreness, but it is likely that he will be available for Sunday's clash with the Jets.
Dylan Gambrell (C)	Prob Sat	Illness - 07 / 04 / 22	9-4	6-5-2	+ -
Gambrell sat out the previous matchup due to an illness, but it is projected that he will play against the Rangers on Saturday.
Tyler Ennis (RW)	out for season	Upper Body - 03 / 04 / 22	11-4	8-5-2	+ -
Ennis has been placed on the injured reserve list with an upper-body issue, and he is expected to miss the rest of the 2021-22 season.
Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Ques Sat	Face - 25 / 03 / 22	13-5	10-6-2	+ -
Zaitsev exited the last game with a facial laceration, and it is unclear if he will be available for Saturday's matchup with the Panthers.