Ottawa (35-12-4) at Buffalo (33-15-3) 7:30 pm EST
BUFFALO, New York (Ticker) -- Captain Daniel Alfredsson and the
Ottawa Senators have thoroughly dominated the Buffalo Sabres this
season. The Senators hope to continue that trend on Saturday when
they visit the Sabres in a Northeast Division showdown.
The NHL's highest-scoring club with a whopping 212 goals, Ottawa
seemingly has tallied at will in its three games against
Buffalo this season. The Senators have won all three meetings,
outscoring their division rivals, 21-5.
Alfredsson scored four goals and six points - both career highs
- in Ottawa's 10-4 rout of Buffalo on November 2. Martin Havlat
also tallied four times for the Senators, who established a
season high in goals and registered the second-best scoring
total in franchise history.
Ottawa's leading scorer this season, Alfredsson has five goals
and five assists in the three victories over Buffalo.
The captain was instrumental in helping the Senators avoid their
longest losing streak of the season with a 7-2 triumph over the
Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
Alfredsson tallied twice, including one of the franchise-record
three shorthanded goals, as Ottawa rallied from a 2-0 deficit to
snap its two-game mini skid.
Jason Spezza and defenseman Wade Redden each had three assists
for the Senators, who have won six of their last nine.
Ottawa hopes to prolong its dominance over a Buffalo team which
has won four straight, including a 4-2 triumph over Atlantic
Division-leading Philadelphia on Thursday.
Ryan Miller made 21 saves and rookie Jason Pominville scored a
goal and assisted on another for the Sabres, who boast the
league's second-best power play and third-ranked penalty kill.
Miller has not played against Ottawa since a 5-0 loss on October
8, Buffalo's third game of the season.
The 25-year-old netminder has been phenomenal since returning
from a thumb injury on December 19, going 11-3-0 with a .934
save percentage and a 1.86 goals-against average in 14 games.