Senators Shut Out by Sabres, Extend Losing Streak to Four Games

Senators Suffer Shutout Loss to Sabres

The Ottawa Senators returned home after a nine-game road trip, but their homecoming was far from ideal. They fell to the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 on Thursday night, extending their losing streak to four games.

The Senators were flat from the start, and the Sabres capitalized on their mistakes. Jack Quinn scored twice in the first period, and Dylan Cozens and Ryan McLeod added goals in the second. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped all 35 shots he faced for the shutout.

"It just wasn't good," said Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot. "There's no way around it. Nobody can hide behind anything. From top to bottom, the whole team [was] just not good enough. Simple as that."

The Senators have now been outscored 15-4 during their losing streak. Their offense, which was one of the hottest in the league before the Christmas break, has gone cold. Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, and Claude Giroux have all struggled to score recently.

"I think our offense is part of it," said Senators coach Travis Green. "You're not going to win a lot of games if you're not scoring."

The Sabres, meanwhile, played a strong game and earned a much-needed victory. They are still in the hunt for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"Got a couple of early goals, played the game the right way, we got some big saves at key times," said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff. "We got some big kills, we didn't let their power play get much generated."

The Senators will look to bounce back on Saturday when they face the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road. They will then return home on Sunday to face the Dallas Stars.