It's not impossible that the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres could meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That's why the Sabres undoubtedly would like to end their eight-game losing streak against their Northeast Division rivals.
They'll get the chance on Friday night when the Senators come to HSBC Arena in one of three games on the NHL's schedule.
Ottawa has won all four meetings this season after taking the last four in 2008-09. The Senators are coming off consecutive shutout wins over Montreal and Philadelphia, while the Sabres beat the Canadiens 3-2 in a shootout on Wednesday after scoring twice in the final two minutes of regulation to tie the game.
The puck will drop at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen in Canada on TSN and RDS.
Also at 7:30, the Detroit Red Wings can move another step closer to clinching a playoff berth by beating the visiting Minnesota Wild. Detroit is coming off a 4-2 win over St. Louis on Wednesday, while the Wild rallied for a 4-3 OT win at Philadelphia on Thursday.
In the evening's other game, Anaheim tries to avoid going 0-for-Western Canada when it visits Edmonton. The Ducks lost 3-1 at Calgary and 4-1 at Vancouver this week, while the Oilers have won three in a row, all at home, including Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Canucks.