Ottawa- Buffalo: Senators Get Second Straight Win Against Sabres

With Buffalo winger Thomas Vanek missing his first game of what is expected to be a three-to-four week absence, this was a chance for those Sabre players who have been missing in action to show up and start making a difference.  

You know who they are: Jason Pominvile (no goals in 16 games), Ales Kotalik (who's scored only five even-strength goals all year), and Jochen Hecht (who only has scored six goals all year).

Since losing in a shoot-out to Ottawa Saturday night, they had three days to rest up, figure out their new lines, and practice.  

They even brought in some scoring reinforcements, calling up top prospect Nathan Gerbe, who is tied for the AHL lead in scoring (20 goals, 17 assists).

Buffalo had won five straight games at the HSBC Arena, improving on their poor home play in the first half of the season.  

Unfortunately, when the game started, it was as if someone had turned the clock back to mid-December, when the Sabres were mired in a listless, losing funk.

Four minutes in, Adam Mair, who's been committing at least one dumb penalty per game of late, was called for hooking.  The Sabres penalty kill did a nice job, but Daniel Alfredsson's cross-ice pass deflected into the net off of Jason Spezza's skate. Spezza loves playing in Buffalo, having scored nine goals and 17 assists in 17 games at HSBC. 

For the rest of the period, play went back and forth, with Buffalo out-shooting Ottawa 9-5, but leaving the ice trailing 1-0.

With the start of the second period, the Senators stepped up the intensity of their fore-checking and the Buffalo defense could not handle it.  Time and time again, their outlet passes were shut down, leading to Ottawa scoring chances.

After another Buffalo turnover, Ottawa scored, but the goal was waved off as Ottawa's Jaarko Ruutu had taken a leaping swan dive on top of Ryan Miller and was whistled for goaltender interference.  

On his last visit, Ruutu had taken a bite out of Andrew Peter's finger, so having the pest's play result in a disallowed goal should have inspired the Sabres.  

Instead, their ensuing power play was weak, and when Ottawa was back to full strength, their forecheck caused Buffalo rookie Mike Weber to cough up the puck.  

Once again Ruutu was in front of Miller, impeding the Buffalo goalie's vision. Shean Donovan fired the puck in the far side of the net for a 2-0 lead.

Miller complained to the referee that Ruutu had prevented him from moving freely, but Ruutu had been standing just outside the blue painted crease and the ref wasn't going to disallow a second goal.

Two minutes later, Miller may have still been stewing when Alfredsson let a harmless looking shot go from the blue line. Miller appeared to absorb the shot, but it trickled through his legs and into the net.  

It was another of those head-shakingly bad goals that keeps Miller from being considered a truly elite goalie.  He makes some unbelievable saves, but every now and then he lets in some unbelievably bad goals.

At this point, Ottawa tried to give the game back to the Sabres, taking seven penalties. But without Vanek in his customary place in front of the net, the Buffalo power play looked lost.  

When they were able to get a shot through, Ottawa's goalie Brian Elliot either gobbled up the rebound, or the puck bounced onto an Ottawa stick and was cleared.  The second period ended with Buffalo down 3-0.

Buffalo had come back from 2-0 down to Ottawa three nights before in the third period, so when Kotalik scored on a five-on-three power play just 1:23 in, Buffalo had hope.

With Ottawa playing more conservatively, Buffalo carried play in the third period.  Although they out-shot the Senators 11-7, and Ottawa gave them three more power plays, the Sabres really didn't have any great scoring chances.  

As the clock wound down, there were no last minute miracles, and the Sabres fell.

This defeat is their second in a row.  With a chance to leap-frog Philadelphia and the Rangers into solid playoff position, the Sabres have now gone in reverse.  

The causes are obvious.  

You can't go 1-13 on the power play. Not only did they only score once (and that on a five-on-three), they didn't even look very good.  There was no movement and no imagination.

Pominville was a virtual turnover machine, mishandling the puck at the point on the power play on at least three occasions. Hecht was invisible, neither playing physical or with skill. Mike Weber took four penalties. Gerbe seems unable as of yet to translate his scoring skills into the NHL.  

Add it all up and the results are an ugly loss.

The Sabres need to put the pieces together ,or they will either be out of, or playing catch-up, in the playoff race by the time Vanek comes back.  

Complicating things are more injuries.  

Teppo Numminen left the game and did not return with an upper-body injury.  Pat Kaleta, who has been one of the Sabres' most physical and effective players, did not return after being run into the boards by Ottawa's Jason Smith.

Ottawa hit every Sabre in sight, with Nick Foligno even taking a penalty late in the game for running Miller.  

In winning this game, Ottawa continues to provide a blueprint on how to beat Buffalo: forecheck hard, pressure the Buffalo D, and hit.  Even if those tactics lead to penalties, it will work so long as the Buffalo power play remains impotent.

Buffalo needs to figure it out fast. Next up is Western Conference-leading San Jose.

Then they face three of their closest playoff competitors in Carolina, Philadelphia, and New York, with a 'breather' against Toronto thrown in.  At this point, winning three of those five would be great.