The Buffalo Sabres happen to play in the NHL's most competitive division, the Atlantic Division, Every one of the Atlantic's eight teams have designs on being a playoff team next season — and as part of this continuing THN.com series, we're analyzing each of the Sabres' seven divisional rivals to see what chance Buffalo has against each of them.

We've moved alphabetically through the first four teams in the Atlantic, including Boston, Detroit, Florida and Montreal. And in this file, we're turning to the Ottawa Senators, the team that ended a seven-season playoff drought last year, when they finished with the Atlantic's fourth-best record (45-30-7). How did the Sabres fare against the Senators last season — and what chance does Buffalo have at getting the best of Ottawa this coming year? Those are the questions you'll find answers to below.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. OTTAWA SENATORS

NEW SENATORS PLAYERS: Lars Eller, C; Arthur Kaliyev, LW; Jordan Spence, D

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 4-0-0, Senators 0-4-0

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  October 15 at Buffalo; December 23 at Ottawa; April 2 at Ottawa

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  The Sabres laid out the Senators last season, winning all four of their regular-season games. And with the Senators making few additions to their roster — including greybeard Eller, New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings castoff Kaliyev, and young defenseman Spence (a move we actually really like for Ottawa) — the Sens could be prone to losing repeatedly to Buffalo again this season.

The teams only play on three occasions next year — and two of them are essentially season-opening and season-closing bookmarks: the first game will be the Sabres' fourth game of the year, while the third game will be Buffalo's seventh-to-last game of the year. So it's rather likely the Sens team the Sabres see in October will be significantly different than the Sens team that greets them in April.

With that said, we like Buffalo's chances of being better than the Senators the way they were better than them last season. Ottawa was a mediocre defensive team last season, but their offense was worse, ranking 19th in the league at an average of 2.95 goals-for per game.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition: Will The New-Look Montreal Canadiens Edge Out Buffalo For A Playoff Spot?The Buffalo Sabres are desperate to be a playoff team next season — but they're in the NHL's toughest division — the Atlantic Division. And their games against Atlantic teams will be crucial to help decided whether or not they'll be a playoff team next year. As such, we're analyzing Buffalo's chances against each Atlantic team in a THN.com series; We started alphabetically with the Boston Bruins, then turned our attention to the Detroit Red Wings, followed by the defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers.

Let's return, then, to see what Ottawa did this summer: they brought in Eller, who won't move the needle offensively; they brought in Kaliyev, who couldn't produce enough offense to justify the Kings or Rangers hanging onto him. And they brought in Spence, who can contribute some offense, but who also isn't regarded for his defensive play. 

So it seems, then, that the Sabres can indeed take advantage of their structural advantages over the Senators. Buffalo's offense, even without the departed J.J. Peterka, should be able to poke holes in Ottawa's defense, The Sabres' defense corps, meanwhile, is deeper and more talented than the Sens' group of blueliners. And while Ottawa's netminding is better than Buffalo's, the Sabres still managed to outscore the Senators 17-5 last year. 

Having one fewer game against one another might temporarily dampen the natural rivalry between Ottawa and Buffalo. But don't kid yourself — if the Metropolitan Division improves next season and four Metro teams make it into the playoffs, only four teams will be getting a playoff berth in the Atlantic. And that almost certainly means one, if not both the Senators and Sabres will miss out on playoff action next year.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition: Does Buffalo Have Any Hope Of Beating The Defending Stanley Cup-Champion Panthers?The Buffalo Sabres are under massive pressure to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 15 years. To do so, they're going to have to make the most of their games with their Atlantic Division rivals. And in this continuing THN.com series, we're analyzing Buffalo's chances against each of their seven Atlantic rivals.

You have to give the Sens their due — they've got plenty to like, and reason for optimism next season and beyond. However, the sports world is littered with the husks of better-than-average teams that faltered under the weight of expectation.

We're not here to guarantee you that Ottawa is going to be one of those teams. However, if the Sabres are to end their 14-year playoff drought, they need to get a leg up on many, if not most Atlantic teams.

The Senators aren't yet regarded as a top-two-or-better team, and that may change soon enough. But Buffalo needs to do whatever it can to replicate the success they had against Ottawa last season. Because if they don't, and the Sabres miss out on the playoffs yet again, their losses at the hands of the Sens may be the reason why.

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