Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators
· National Hockey League
1 - 4
Senators delay the Sabres' bid to clinch drought-breaking playoff spot
Buffalo will have to wait to end its NHL-record 14-season postseason skid, the second-longest active futility run in North America’s four major sports behind the New York Jets and their 15-season slide.
Eller deflected defenseman Artem Zub's shot from the point past goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at 5:55 of the third.
Buffalo defenseman Mattias Samuelsson opened the scoring at 8:49 of the second with a long wrist shot. Dylan Cozens tied it with 4:42 left in the second on a tip-in. He has 26 goals this season.
Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto added empty-net goals.
Linus Ullmark made 21 saves for Ottawa. The Senators — in the second wild-card spot in the East — opened a five-game homestand.
Luukkonen stopped 20 shots for Buffalo.
Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven left in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. The team has become increasingly thin on defense, missing Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, Nick Jensen and others.
Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk fought Logan Stanley late in the first period.
Senators: Host Minnesota on Saturday.
Regular Season SeriesBUF wins series 2-1
Scoring Summary
 |
Goal | 2nd Period 8:49 | Mattias Samuelsson Goal (13) Wrist Shot, assists: Bowen Byram (28), Peyton Krebs (26) |
 |
Goal | 2nd Period 15:18 | Dylan Cozens Goal (26) Tip-In, assists: Brady Tkachuk (32), Ridly Greig (19) |
|
Goal | 3rd Period 5:55 | Lars Eller Goal (5) Slap Shot, assists: Artem Zub (23), Warren Foegele (4) |
|
Goal | 3rd Period 17:42 | Ridly Greig Goal (12) Wrist Shot, assists: Jordan Spence (22) |
|
Goal | 3rd Period 18:42 | Shane Pinto Goal (20) Wrist Shot, assists: none |
Statistics
 BUF |
 OTT |
|
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Blocked Shots | 10 |
| 24 | Hits | 32 |
| 4 | Takeaways | 3 |
| 22 | Shots | 24 |
| 0 | Power Play Goals | 0 |
| 2 | Power Play Opportunities | 2 |
| 0.0 | Power Play Percentage | 0.0 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 29 | Faceoffs Won | 28 |
| 50.9 | Faceoff Win Percent | 49.1 |
| 14 | Giveaways | 13 |
| 4 | Total Penalties | 3 |
| 19 | Penalty Minutes | 9 |
Ottawa Senators Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Ridly Greig, C | Suspension | May 4 |
| Artem Zub, D | Out | Apr 27 |
| Jake Sanderson, D | Out | Apr 24 |
| Nick Jensen, D | Injured Reserve | Apr 14 |
Buffalo Sabres Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Noah Ostlund, C | Out | May 3 |
| Jiri Kulich, C | Injured Reserve | Mar 6 |
| Justin Danforth, RW | Injured Reserve | Jan 26 |
Game Information
Canadian Tire Centre
Location: Ottawa, ON
Attendance: 17,086 | Capacity:
Location: Ottawa, ON
Attendance: 17,086 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <img src="https://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/buf.png" style="padding: 0 4px; width: 25px; vertical-align: inherit;">Buffalo | 50 | 23 | 109 | 9 |
| <img src="https://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/tb.png" style="padding: 0 4px; width: 25px; vertical-align: inherit;">Tampa Bay | 50 | 26 | 106 | 6 |
| <img src="https://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/mtl.png" style="padding: 0 4px; width: 25px; vertical-align: inherit;">Montreal | 48 | 24 | 106 | 10 |
| <img src="https://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/bos.png" style="padding: 0 4px; width: 25px; vertical-align: inherit;">Boston | 45 | 27 | 100 | 10 |
| <img src="https://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/ott.png" style="padding: 0 4px; width: 25px; vertical-align: inherit;">Ottawa | 44 | 27 | 99 | 11 |
| <img src="https://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/det.png" style="padding: 0 4px; width: 25px; vertical-align: inherit;">Detroit | 41 | 31 | 92 | 10 |
| <img src="https://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/fla.png" style="padding: 0 4px; width: 25px; vertical-align: inherit;">Florida | 40 | 38 | 84 | 4 |
| <img src="https://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/tor.png" style="padding: 0 4px; width: 25px; vertical-align: inherit;">Toronto | 32 | 36 | 78 | 14 |