Sens Week Ahead: Feb 8 to 14

Don't look now, but Buffalo has won two of their last three!

If you think that means they're turning things around, well, no. They've still got the second worst last 10 record in the league right now (hi Toronto!). They're also still well on pace to put up the worst shot attempt percentage since we've been keeping track of these stats. All this to say that the Sabres should be a walkover of an opponent, but one that Ottawa has struggled with at times this year.

Make sure to keep an eye on Chris Stewart, who has had a pretty dismal year, but is getting hot lately. It looks like the Sens' brass have finally decided he's not worth a trade, but if he has a good game against the Sens, anything could happen.

The Penguins are coming off a weird set of recent games. They were shutout by the Predators, then they shutout the Oilers and then the Flames, and then they were shutout by the Canucks. It seems extremely odd for so many consecutive games to involve a shutout.

The Penguins actually put up the better possession numbers through their last five games, so it's safe to say they'll play well against a much inferior Senators team. I expect they'll try to add a winger before the trade deadline, but they're in good shape heading into the final stretch of the season.

Fleury was in net for both the games against the Alberta teams, but Thomas Greiss got a rare start against the Canucks. I think it's safe to say the Sens will be seeing Fleury again.

The Oilers have actually won 4 of their last 8 games, which seems miraculous considering their start to the year. By the time they play the Senators though, they'll be five games into a six-game road trip, so fatigue should be a factor.

The Oilers have had a bad stretch recently, including letting the Flames come back in the third period, being shutout by the Penguins, and ending the Maple Leafs' historic losing streak. Their possession numbers have also been pretty awful in that time, only outplaying the Leafs and the Sabres. Eberle being their hottest player right now tells you that nobody's playing particularly well. All this to say, there's hardly a reason to fear the Oilers right now.

This game also takes place on the double-whammy of Hockey Day in Canada and Valentine's Day. It would be nice to see the Sens grab a win with a large national audience against one of the worst teams in the league this year.