In 2013-14, Housley's first season behind the bench with Nashville, the Predators finished with 88 points and missed the playoffs. They took a step in each of the next three seasons, from cracking the first round in 2014-15 and then the second round in 2015-16.
Last season, the Predators went all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Having been a part of that ascension, it's natural to expect an emotional return for Housley.
At the same time, he said he's focused on the task at hand.
"We're going to try to win a hockey game against a really good opponent," he said. "They're one of the best in the league, so everything's going to have to go right for us but we've played some good hockey against good teams. It will sink in a little bit, but we're going to be focused on trying to win this game tonight."
The Predators lead the NHL with 111 points this season and have won 16 of their last 20 games. When the two teams met in Buffalo on March 19, the Sabres came away with the advantage in the shot column, 35-32, but lost 4-0.
The Sabres generally felt good about the way they competed in that game, and a pair of late goals by the Predators made the score more lopsided than the play actually was. Still, they were unable to solve All-Star goalie Pekka Rinne, in part because they didn't put enough pressure at the net front.
"It's just finishing," Housley said. "We threw a lot of rubber at the net but we didn't get the second opportunity. We've got to stop at the net, we've got to pay a price to score. That's what we've been preaching to our guys. I think we've done a better job of it."
