Can the Buffalo Sabres Capitalize on Home Ice Against the Ottawa Senators?

As the Buffalo Sabres prepare to host the Ottawa Senators at KeyBank Center, fans are eager to see if their team can harness their home-ice advantage and secure a victory. The upcoming game, scheduled for January 12th, is an opportunity for the Sabres to bounce back after a tough loss against the Seattle Kraken.

In their last encounter with Seattle on January 10th, despite outshooting their opponents 38 to 26 and winning faceoffs at a remarkable rate of 62 percent, Buffalo fell short with a final score of two points to Seattle's five. The Sabres' shooting percentage was just five percent compared to Seattle's nineteen percent – an area that needs significant improvement if they hope to overcome Ottawa.

The Sabres have shown resilience in recent games. On January 7th against Pittsburgh Penguins, they secured a win with three goals from thirty-two shots and displayed solid defense by blocking sixteen shots. Their goaltender saved forty out of forty-one shots faced – an impressive save percentage that was crucial for their victory.

Moreover, Buffalo's performance on January 5th against Montreal Canadiens was nothing short of dominant. They scored six goals from thirty-eight shots and had an even-strength goal differential of plus fifteen. This kind of offensive firepower combined with disciplined play – only ten penalty minutes – is exactly what will be needed when facing off against Ottawa.

The Senators are not opponents that can be taken lightly; however, given BUF's recent form and playing in front of their home crowd should give them confidence going into this match-up. To emerge victorious, it will be essential for BUF to maintain discipline while capitalizing on powerplay opportunities which have been lackluster in previous games.

Buffalo must also focus on improving its shooting accuracy and continue its strong defensive play by blocking shots and winning faceoffs as they did against Seattle despite the loss. With these adjustments and leveraging the energy from home supporters at KeyBank Center, there's every reason for optimism among fans.

Sabres enthusiasts should mark their calendars for this exciting clash set for January 12th at KeyBank Center in Buffalo where puck drop is scheduled at midnight UTC (7:00 PM Eastern Time). Fans can catch all the action live nationally via ESPN+ or locally through MSG-B channel number 635-1.