Game Day Notes: Sens @ Sabres

The Sens look to make it back-to-back wins against the Sabres today and we've got all the line-up details that you're looking for ahead of this afternoon's game in Buffalo.

Paul gets his shot

It took a few callups but Nick Paul finally got his first taste of NHL action this season. After being a healthy scratch in his previous stints with the Senators this year, Paul had a solid debut on Thursday and looked effective in his limited minutes against the Sabres.
"While you're waiting to get in the anticipation starts to build up," said Paul. "It was great to get into that first NHL game of the season and it helps to get all those little nerves out. Now you know what to expect and it's easier to focus on everything you need to do out there."
Paul got off to a great start in Belleville this season producing 6 points (2G, 4A) in 6 games and has received praise from his coaches and management in regards to his play.
"It just shows that the routines and the work I'm putting in are getting noticed," he said about the numerous recalls. "Obviously it's equally important to keep my foot on the gas after you get that call up and now you have to keep adding to it. That's the biggest thing I worked on this summer: my routines and my consistency."
He also credits the work he's done off the ice as a big reason for his early success on it this year and has dedicated a lot more time to the mental side of the game, something that he belives has already started to pay dividends.
"I used to focus too much on the negatives," shared Paul. "Instead of dwelling on what I should have done differently, now I look at everything as an opportunity to improve. It's honestly really helped me. My mindset has been really good and I'm able to control my stress and nerves just by being more positive. You don't always realize how your self-talk can impact you."
With his season debut out of the way, Paul's attention shifts to working to earn a regular spot in the NHL line-up and he'll have an opportunity to do so today against the Sabres.
"It starts with winning all my battles," he said. "I'm a big body and I can skate so I need to use my speed to take defencemen wide and cause a lot of mayhem around the net. I also need to be consistent so the coaches know they can rely on me to be good at both ends of the ice."

Up Front

One piece of business to take care of off the hop is that the Senators return rookie forward Alex Formenton to the London Knights of the OHL yesterday. Formenton had appeared in 9 games this season and recorded his first career NHL goal on Tuesday against the Coyotes.

Jack Rodewald has been recalled from Belleville but isn't expected to draw into the line-up tonight as the coach revealed this morning that he'll revert back to the 11 forward and 7 defencemen deployment this afternoon.
Brady Tkachuk (lower body) also won't play today but shared yesterday that he's closing in on a return from a torn ligament in his leg. Tkachuk, who has been sidelined since October 15th, rejoined the Senators on the ice for practice yesterday before the team left for Buffalo and shared some updates on his status with the media following the skate.

No skate this morning so here's our best guess at today's projected forward lines:
Dzingel - Duchene - Stone
Paajarvi - Tierney - Ryan
Paul - White - Boedker
McCormick - Pyatt

On Defence

One small change on the blueline tonight as Erik Burgdoerfer draws into the line-up for the first time this season. Burgdoerfer has split his previous 4 NHL games between the Sens and Sabres and he gets an opportunity to face his old squad today. In 10 games in Belleville this season, Burgdoerfer has recorded a goal and an assist to go along with 10 PIMs.
Thomas Chabot looks to continue his hot start as the 21-year-old defenceman has recorded at least a point in all but two games this season. His 15 points (3G, 12 A) this year currently have him tied for second in defenceman scoring and he trails only Toronto's Morgan Rielly by a single point for the top spot. Chabot had a pair of assists in Ottawa's win over Buffalo on Thursday.

Here's how the defence pairings could look this afternoon:
Chabot - DeMelo
Lajoie - Ceci
Wideman - Jaros
Burgdoerfer

In Goal

After a first star performance on Thursday, Craig Anderson (5-3-2) gets the start again today against the Sabres. Anderson was brilliant in the first game of this home-and-home series with Buffalo turning aside 46 of the 48 shots he faced to earn the 4-2 decision. After a rough to start last week's 3-game western road trip, the Sens starter has bounced back nicely in his last 3 appearances compiling a .936 save percentage over that span.

Where to Watch

It's a scheduled 2 p.m. start in Buffalo so why not head out and catch the game at Buster's Bar on Carling Ave. where they'll be serving up Molson Canadian drafts for just $5.75 all evening.
You can also catch all the action on TSN5 and RDS.