Game Day: Buffalo Sabres Fans Scoff At The Ottawa Senators’ Seven-Year Playoff Drought

It’s been a frustrating seven years for Ottawa Senators fans. But imagine how they’d feel if the club’s playoff drought carried on for six more years. It’s almost unthinkable.

But Buffalo Sabres fans are living it. “Seven year playoff drought? Pfffft! Hold our beer.”

The Sabres haven’t been to the playoffs in 13 years. That is the longest playoff drought in the history of the NHL. This graphic pretty much confirms it.

With guys like Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker, and J.J. Peterka, Buffalo isn’t short on talent, they’re just short on victories… again.

But it’s early.

As they host the Senators tonight, Buffalo has started the year with a 4-7-1 mark, losers of three in a row. Ottawa has shown some great signs of late, but their record (6-5) isn’t exactly parade-worthy either. And Buffalo is licking their chops at the Sens’ 1-4 road record.

The Sabres’ power play success rate, or lack thereof, has been a large part of their troubles. While the Sens are humming along at a 33.3 percent success rate, third best in the NHL, Buffalo is the very worst (despite the Leafs’ best efforts) at 8.6 percent.

In 12 games, the Sabres have just three power play goals.

Old School Sens-Sabres Nostalgia

Just like the struggling Senators did last season with Jacques Martin (and maybe inspired by it) the Sabres are leaning into their own blast from the past, re-hiring Lindy Ruff as head coach.

This will be the first regular season game in 12 years that Ruff will face Ottawa as Sabres head coach. During his first go around, his Sabre teams had some epic battles with the Sens, especially in 2007 with the Ray Emery vs everyone line brawl and the clash in the Eastern Conference Final.

Ruff was also Travis Green’s boss in New Jersey last season. When Ruff was fired near the end of last season, Green moved from assistant to interim head coach. It wasn’t long before both men ended up with new jobs as Atlantic Division rivals.

Injury News

Artem Zub is in Buffalo so his return is imminent, but it won’t be tonight. Zub has been out with a concussion since October 14th after a brutal hit from LA’s Tanner Jeannot. At practice today, Travis Hamonic was still riding shotgun with Jake Sanderson, the Starsky to his Hutch. Zub is being eased back in for another day, cycling through the bottom pairing.

Shane Pinto skated briefly at practice yesterday but left early. Green claims the early exit was planned.

Here’s how Green worked the lines today, going with the same combos as he did in the 3-0 win over Seattle on Saturday. The only lineup change tonight? Linus Ullmark will get the start against the team he broke into the league with.

Buffalo had an optional skate this morning and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was in the starter’s end.